Body weight training is the winner of the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual worldwide fitness survey charting the workout trends that we’re likely to see in 2015. Body weight training—such as push-ups, pull-ups, and squats—is obviously not a new way to work out. The term “push-up”actually dates from the Victorian era, but was only identified as a separate trend by the ACSM in 2013. (The ACSM polled trainers, professors, therapists, doctors and other medical professionals for its 2015 trends.)
Over two-thirds of gym members never actually go to the gyms they signed up for. While personal and group trainers continue to be popular workout methods—personal trainers came in at #3 this year and last—many of the workouts that made the cut this year require little or no equipment, meaning you really don’t have any excuses. The survey’s author says yoga is one activity with surprising staying power over the years.
But many recent workout fads—like Zumba, Pilates, and indoor cycling—have dropped out of this year’s top 20. “Many of these fads are creative variations of the core fitness components and typically are driven by clever marketing and a perceived element of fun,” says Brad Roy, a fitness center director whose comments were included in the survey report.