November 2011

ACSM Predicts Top Fitness Trends for 2012

Zumba is in, and Pilates is out, according to more than 2,600 fitness professionals who completed an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) survey on the top fitness trends for 2012.

Zumba (and other dance workouts) and outdoor activities both made their debuts in the top 20 this year. Zumba and other dance workouts ranked ninth, and outdoor activities ranked 14th.

"Zumba and other dance workouts first appeared on the list of potential trends in 2010, but this is the first year Zumba has made the top 20," said Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, the lead author of the survey. "While Zumba has experienced a rapid surge in popularity in the past year, future surveys will indicate if Zumba is truly a trend or simply a fad."

Educated and experienced fitness professionals claimed the top spot in 2012 for the fifth consecutive year. Outcome measurements and clinical integration/medical fitness both dropped out of the top 20 this year. Outcome measurements, a way to quantify progress in clubs and wellness programs, had a five-year run in the top 20 and ranked 13th in 2011. Clinical integration/medical fitness, perhaps tied to last year's national health care reform, only appeared in the top 20 in 2011, and claimed 18th place. Pilates, which first dropped out of the top 20 for 2011, remained off the list for 2012.

"The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics is predicting that jobs for fitness workers will increase much faster than other occupations," said Thompson, an exercise physiologist at Georgia State University, a fellow of ACSM and a spokesperson for the ACSM American Fitness Index. "Educated and experienced fitness professionals—such as those with professional certifications—will have the best chances to get new jobs in an increasingly competitive field."

The survey, now in its sixth year, was completed by 2,620 health and fitness professionals worldwide and was designed to reveal trends in various fitness environments. Thirty-seven potential trends were given as choices, and the top 20 were ranked and published by ACSM.

The top 10 fitness trends predicted for 2012 are:

1. Educated and experienced fitness professionals
2. Strength training
3. Fitness programs for older adults
4. Exercise and weight loss
5. Children and obesity
6. Personal training
7. Core training
8. Group personal training
9. Zumba and other dance workouts
10. Functional fitness

For more information on these and the other trends in the top 20, visit www.acsm.org.