I love sitting back and observing which direction fitness will turn next. One year we’re 15 deep on the waitlist to Zumba, sweating our asses off in short shorts at Bikram yoga (pre Netflix documentary, yikes), or signing up for a Crossfit competition to see how much weight we can throw on a barbell and lift over our heads. 

One decade we are maxing out on step aerobics, praying that our asses get smaller and in the next we’re buying every big booty building guide spotted on our Instagram feeds.

Our society’s opinion of the best methodology to become your fittest self is forever evolving and changing. So what direction is fitness going next? Here are some of my predictions: 

Less Emphasis on Calorie Burn, More on Body Acceptance

I feel in the past, gyms marketed themselves in a way that provided less focus on the mental changes that can occur with a regular fitness routine and more on the physical transformation they’re selling. I think this works great, until someone either suffers from a burn out or becomes injured from participating in high-intensity workouts 5-6 days a week. I just don’t think it’s attainable for the long haul for everyone.

I’m kind of tired of the before and after pictures of people I don’t know plastered on ads and posters around the gym. I used to find it motivating, but now that’s not what motivates me to workout. I have noticed that gyms I really enjoy focus more on the mental transformation and making their members feel good, not just look good. I think this is where 2020 fitness is shifting for the better. 

New Modalities are Coming in Hot

New generations in the fitness industry are coming out of the woodworks with all kinds of new modalities and I’m here for it. Of course, there’s a science to enhancing fitness and methods that have been proven to work time after time, but I feel there’s a younger crowd giving their own twist to these traditional ideals. 

Dance Cardio classes for example–instructors are now combining their favorite sculpting movements with dance cardio routines that get the heart rate up while having fun to the beat of your favorite songs. Instructors are giving their unique twist to traditional strength training by incorporating HIIT cardio sequences that is giving us a lot of variety to choose from when it comes to getting in a good workout. 

Boutique Fitness at Home

If you live in a large city, you know for a fact that boutique fitness is all the rage, but comes at an expensive price tag. Boutique fitness is described as a small fitness studio focusing on community and group exercise in one or two specific fitness areas. Examples are SoulCycle, Barry’s Bootcamp, Orange Theory, CorePower Yoga, and many more on Class Pass in your local area. Some of these studios can rack up a monthly fee of $200-$300 for a membership! 

This price tag isn’t realistic for a lot of men and women in their early twenties who are in school or just beginning their career. Which is why I think we are seeing a lot of new fitness apps like Obe Fitness that offer hundreds of boutique style fitness classes at a small monthly fee. I think we are about to see an even bigger shift in at home workouts.

Group Fitness is Here to Stay

Even with how easy it is to workout from home now, I think there’s still a generation that craves community and working out in a group setting. I’ve also noticed that this community doesn’t just stay in the gym, it’s transferring to real life friendships that flourish on social media through Instagram and private Facebook groups. 

I actually think we will end up seeing more group fitness classes than ever start popping up in all different kinds of modalities. People are bored these days and want to keep it interesting. What better way to do that than hopping around to different group fitness classes and meeting others with similar interests? 

Where do you think fitness is going in 2020? Email or DM me your thoughts!