The American College of Sports Medicine surveyed more than 4,000 fitness professionals, and the results are in: High Intensity Interval Training is forecast as 2018’s most popular trend in fitness. HIIT training is made up of bursts of all-​out exercise followed by short periods of rest for recovery.

Personal trainers can promote their HIIT routines to entice new and lapsed clients. The new AudienceSCAN study reported 5.4% of Americans expect to pay for personal trainers in the next 6 months.

Survey respondents shared that some clients are reluctant to participate in HIIT due to perceived risks, and the fitness pros often shared those concerns. So, is HIIT dangerous?

“HIIT offers participants a good workout that can be done without a lot of time or equipment,” continued Thompson. “Research shows that with proper precautions, like working with a certified personal trainer, HIIT can be a safe, effective and fun way to exercise.”

Trainers can showcase their certifications and how safe HIIT is through social media. The newest research from the AudienceSCAN study found 54% of Personal Trainer Clients took action after seeing ads on social networks in the past 30 days.

The top 10 fitness trends for 2018 are:

1. High-​Intensity Interval Training: HIIT involves short bursts of activity followed by a short period of rest or recovery, these exercise programs are usually performed in less than 30 minutes.
2. Group Training: Group exercise instructors teach, lead and motivate individuals though intentionally designed group exercise classes. Group programs are designed to be motivational and effective for people at different fitness levels, with instructors using leadership techniques that help individuals in their classes achieve fitness goals.
3. Wearable Technology: includes fitness trackers, smart watches, heart rate monitors and GPS tracking devices.
4. Body Weight Training: Body weight training uses minimal equipment, making it more affordable. Not limited to just push-​ups and pull-​ups, this trend allows people to get “back to the basics” with fitness.
5. Strength Training: Strength training remains a central emphasis for many health clubs. Incorporating strength training is an essential part of a complete exercise program for all physical activity levels and genders. (The other essential components are aerobic exercise and flexibility.)
6. Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals: Given the large number of organizations offering health and fitness certifications, it’s important that consumers choose professionals certified through programs that are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.
7. Yoga: Based on ancient tradition, yoga utilizes a series of specific bodily postures practiced for health and relaxation. This includes Power Yoga, Yogalates, Bikram, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Kripalu, Anurara, Kundalini, Sivananda and others.
8. Personal Training: More and more students are majoring in kinesiology, which indicates that they are preparing themselves for careers in allied health fields such as personal training. Education, training and proper credentialing for personal trainers have become increasingly important to the health and fitness facilities that employ them.
9. Fitness Programs for Older Adults. As the baby boom generation ages into retirement, some of these people have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts. Therefore, many health and fitness professionals are taking the time to create age-​appropriate fitness programs to keep older adults healthy and active.
10. Functional Fitness. This is a trend toward using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living. Functional fitness and special fitness programs for older adults are closely related.

AudienceSCAN data is available as part of a subscription to AdMall for Agencies, or with the SalesFuel API. Media companies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.