Top fitness trends set to dominate 2023

HIIT, Zumba and yoga might be three of the trendiest fitness regimes at the minute.

But experts say there’s some new, quirkier ones in store for 2023. 

At-home virtual work-outs are expected to go out of fashion, in favour of twerking classes, exercising with a buggy and the brutal 12-3-30 challenge. 

Here, MailOnline breaks down eight of the different exercise regimes that PureGym expects to make headway this year.  

12-3-30 workouts

The inclined walking challenge went viral on TikTok in 2022, amassing millions of views after creator Lauren Giraldo posted a video of the sweaty workout. But it’s expected to continue to get even more popular in the coming months.  

It sees gymgoers set their treadmill to a 12 per cent incline, and walk at a pace of 3 miles per hour, for 30 minutes. 

It might sound like a walk in the park. But the work-out,, it’s much harder than it sounds. 

PureGym personal trainer Laura Eaton says it’s great for getting your heart rate up. 

She said: ‘Walking is already a fantastic cardiovascular activity.

‘Adding the incline creates a bigger increase in heart rate – improving cardiovascular health and endurance. 

‘This workout is also much gentler on the joints than running or jogging, making it an excellent choice for different age groups and fitness levels.’

She suggests avoid holding onto the handrails and straighten your body to make it even more challenging.  

But Ms Eaton recommends those suffering with lower back pain or extremely tight calves avoid taking part. 

Dr Darren Player, personal trainer and a lecturer at UCL, recommends always putting the treadmill on an incline if you are walking. 

But he is not convinced the trend is ‘progressive’. 

He said: ‘It does not account for any kind of ability. 

‘For people that can tolerate that level of incline at 3 miles per hour for half an hour, that is fine, but for those who can’t would struggle and may not be able to maintain that pace.’

It does not need to be the ’12-3-30′, Dr Player adds and suggests changing it to suit your capabilities.

He said: ‘A lot of these fitness trends that come up is more branding than the exercise. The name just makes it sound very appealing. 

‘The most important thing is that you are doing something and if that something is 12-3-30 than that is better than doing nothing.’

CrossFit

CrossFit is expected to see a resurgence in popularity, PureGym predicts.

It has gained a cult-like following since its inception in California in 2000. Despite being over 20 years old, it’s still got a huge following today. It is compared to being like ‘magic’ because it’s supposedly so effective.

So what is it?

Just like HIIT, CrossFit is a high intensity workout that involves cardio, heavy lifting and flexibility training. 

It uses a group training setting that has created a community of like-minded fitness aficionados across the world. 

The- cult-like work-out concentrates on stamina and strength, all the way to agility and balance. Just like HIIT, CrossFit is a high intensity workout but it also incorporates gymnastic movements, weightlifting and longer cardiovascular exercises

But CrossFit may not be suitable for everyone, especially if you are new to exercise. 

Dr Player said: ‘CrossFit has been a phenomenon for the last few years and it’s picking up in popularity.

‘It is great because it provides a range of exercise, you have resistance training, metabolic conditioning, cardiovascular exercise. 

‘But people have suffered from a lot more injuries from doing CrossFit, because it is a very demanding form of exercise. 

‘And for the recreational individual it can be very challenging, I recommend people breaking the workout down into component parts first before brining it together into a CrossFit style workout.’

Twerking class

It was popularised by stars like Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez.

But now twerking is performed by the masses — and dance teachers even offer to show women how to properly shake their booty.

Experts believe the fun and light-hearted workout, which gets your heart pumping and builds strength in your glutes, quads and abs, will see a huge spike in interest this year.

Twerking is a style of dance that involves thrusting hips and shaking buttocks in a low-squatting stance. 

Classes are advertised as being cheeky, fun and sexy. Although, trainers insist they are also incredibly sweaty and hard work.

In fact, some think you could burn up to 500 calories — if you did it for an hour, that is.

Scientists suggest dancing burns more calories per hour than running, swimming or cycling. And it can burn up to 500 calories

In 2015 a team of scientists at the University of Brighton discovered dancing burns more calories per hour than running, swimming or cycling. 

Researchers studied 15 dancers from London’s City Academy and found that swing dancers burned an average of 293 calories, compared with 264 for running, 258 for football and 249 for swimming. 

But you should be carful to maintain a healthy diet even when you are burning loads of calories, according to Professor Peter Watt, a sports and exercise science expert at the University of Brighton. 

He said: ‘It will certainly burn some calories if your heart rate is going up, but the amount that adds to your calorie deficit will depend on your diet. 

‘You can’t just do that and then have a couple of Mars bars.’

75 soft

You may have heard of the 75-hard challenge, which has already gained millions of views on TikTok. 

This wellness challenge — which involves quitting alcohol, exercising for 45 minutes a day twice a day and drinking a gallon of water — has strict rules to promote ‘mental toughness’.

But the so-called ’75-soft’ challenge is expected to take off this year.

Devised for fans who found the original too restrictive, it also focuses on mental and physical fitness and is also to be carried out over 75 days. 

Followers must still eat healthily and only drink on social occasions, exercise for 45 minutes per day and include one day of active recovery per week. 

As well as that, they must still hit the desired water consumption each day and read 10 pages of any book. 

The 75 hard challenge sees people quit alcohol, exercising for 45 minutes a day twice a day and drinking a gallon of water. But drinking this much is not always recommended as it can lead to health problems

Changing habits for your physical and mental health, such as drinking less alcohol, drinking more water and reading are all practices Dr Player agrees will help your exercise goals. 

He said: ‘People are considering mental health a lot more as part of their exercise. 

‘Whether that is abstaining from alcohol or practicing mindfulness as part of a workout, it’s becoming more popular.’ 

But Professor Watt warns you should be carful of setting the challenge of drinking a gallon of water a day if you are doing the 75-hard challenge. 

He said: ‘Drinking a gallon of water is extreme. 

‘Even two litres a day is probably not essential, you drink to maintain your fluids, so if you are not getting rid of that much fluid you do not need to take so much. 

‘The whole idea of washing things out is nonsense, if you drink too much water you become over-hydrated and become hyponatraemic, which is when your sodium concentration is lowered. 

‘This can cause other issues with your blood pressure and health.’

Hyrox

Hyrox is a huge indoor fitness event that launched in 2021. 

Last year 25,000 fitness enthusiasts took part in four sold-out events in the country.

The challenge involves 1K of running followed by one workout, such as burpees and rowing, repeated eight times. 

With its UK events getting bigger, the fitness competition is only expected to blow up, according to PureGym. 

Professor Watt suggests using these popular trends like, Hyrox, HIIT and CrossFit as guidelines for your gym sessions. 

He said: ‘Tailor it to what you can achieve and move on once you get to a comfortable level.’ 

Dr Player agrees that ‘trendy’ workouts like Hyrox are great for your fitness, but setting manageable goals is the best way to start.

Jazzercise

This calorie-burner is the ultimate dance workout, with the creators claiming it can burn up to 800 calories in an hour. 

A bit like Zumba, it gets your blood pumping, fusing cardio, strength, Pilates, hip hop, yoga and kickboxing.

Although founded in the late 60s, it is making a reappearance as more people search for the class online, according to PureGym data.  

The dance class may not be as hard as Hyrox and CrossFit, but it still has many benefits including balance and coordination. 

Dance classes may not be as hard as Hyrox, but it still has many benefits including balance and coordination

Professor Watt said: ‘I think anything that raises your heart rate and gets you doing things is good. 

‘There is a social aspect as well, there is a lot of evidence that certainly for older people having social side of exercise increases the benefits of the exercise than if they do it by themselves.’

He added: ‘Any exercise is good if you can achieve it. 

‘We have done some work with people with diabetes and overweight and their capacity for exercise is limited. You have to take it stead to become fitter and small target are good.’

Stroller fitness

The work-out is specifically designed for time-strapped parents. 

And the only equipment you need is a buggy. 

It involves running with a pram and stopping to do cardio exercises, including squats and sit ups. 

Searches for stroller fitness have soared as more parents are ditching online work-outs in favour of getting outdoors. 

And it’s no surprise, as experts say stroller fitness is good for both your physical and mental health. 

Stroller fitness involves running with a pram and stopping to do cardio exercises, including squats and sit ups. It is a well-rounded aerobic activity that is ideal for parents with young children

Asics, the runners clothing brand, says it helps you stay in shape at the same time as spending valuable time with your baby.

Getting out with a newborn or a young child can be challenging as parents, says Dr Player. 

As a parent himself he adds that he understands it can be hard to find the time to go to the gym or attend classes. 

He added: ‘Any form of exercise should be completely rounded. 

‘There should be a resistance component, there should be an aerobic cardiovascular component and also balance. 

‘That is the problem with a lot of these trends is it may only focus on one thing rather than what is required for overall health and wellbeing.’

Everesting 

This work out sees runners and cyclists ascend and descend a hill for 8,848 metres — the same elevation of Mount Everest. 

The endurance fitness trend puts runners and cyclists to the test.

It became very popular over lockdown with people running up and down steps or on a treadmill and it is still climbing in popularity. 

Everesting ascend and descend a hill for 8,848 metres — the same elevation of Mount Everest. It became very popular over lockdown with people running up and down steps or on a treadmill and it is still climbing in popularity. Now people are taking the challenge to new locations

But it’s expected to get even more popular this year.

Some people cycle, run or take part in a relay to finish the mammoth task.

Yet some take it to the extremes. In 2018, adventurer Ross Edgely took on the challenge in 2018 and climbed a rope the height of Everest in 24 hours. 

However, Dr Player does not recommend taking Everesting to such lengths.  

He said: ‘It is about setting yourself a challenge and building a community around exercise. 

‘But it should be up to the individual to determine how much to do and when. 

‘With a lot of these challenges people aim to cycle or run to the height of Everest and do as much as they can in a single bout. But not everyone can tolerate that. 

‘You need to recognise what level of intensity, duration and distance you can manage.’

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