Latest Exercise and Equipment Trends - Elliptical Trainers Growing in Popularity

IDEA Health & Fitness Association, the leading membership organization of health and fitness professionals worldwide with nearly 20,000 members in more than 80 countries, has released the results of its 2005 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey, demonstrating the continued adoption of diversified personal training programs while highlighting increased use of small equipment, such as stability balls, balance boards and foam rollers. In addition to revealing increasing use of Elliptical Trainers, Balance Equipment and Weighted Bars

The tenth annual survey polled nearly 300 IDEA business and program directors across North America, representing a cross-section of large and small health clubs, personal training gyms, specialty studios, college campuses, corporate and hospital fitness centers as well as park and recreation programs. This year's survey, including valuable data on more than 64 fitness programs and activities as well as 26 categories of equipment, showed a continuing upward trend in a variety of programs tailored for beginner, intermediate and advanced clientele.

Regardless of location, 85 percent of respondents offer programs designed to attract the inactive person or new exerciser. On average, managers estimate that 40 percent of their participants are beginners. With 71 percent reporting that their clients stay with the business for one year or longer, it's clear that IDEA business members are coming up with and maintaining creative ways to keep exercisers motivated and dedicated to their fitness regimes.

According to Kathie Davis, executive director and co-founder of IDEA Health & Fitness Association, the 2005 survey culminates a decade of industry leadership in researching and assessing the latest trends and fitness fads. "For 10 years, we've been at the forefront of the fitness industry, following the rise and fall of a wide array of programs and equipment that have helped exercisers of all levels improve and maintain their quality of life," she says. "Over the years, we have watched the industry broaden and expand to accommodate many different fitness levels and age groups, so now there truly is something for everyone -- kids, seniors and people of all ages who want to customize their fitness activities to their individual interests and potential."

Among the more noteworthy programming trends uncovered in the 2005 survey are:

• Nutrition assessment is another growing area with more than half of the survey respondents offering some level of evaluation. However, overall lifestyle coaching, most notably in the areas of stress management, weight management and smoking cessation, has declined steadily since IDEA started following this area in 1998. Currently, it now is offered mostly in corporate and hospital facilities.
• Group strength training, personal training and Pilates are the three most popular programs.
• Personal training maintains its status as the No. 1 program, with 88 percent of respondents offering all types of personal training programs. In contrast, 66 percent of the 1996 survey respondents offered personal training yet also reported that only about 25 percent of their clients participated in personal training programs.
• Since 1998, IDEA has been following the rise of two-client or three-to-five client partner personal training. Both areas show aggressive growth, with two-client classes rising by 29 percentage points over the years for a total of 71 percent in 2005. At the same time, small group fitness classes of three-to-five clients have risen from 33 percent in 1998 to 43 percent in 2005.
• Core conditioning classes are offered by more than 63 percent of the survey's respondents.
• Classes based on urban street or funk dance have surpassed traditional ballroom dancing, probably because of appeal to younger exercisers.
• Enhanced mind-body programs that combine yoga and Pilates with one another or with strength training continued to gain popularity. More than half of those surveyed (60 percent) are merging yoga and Pilates with one another or a traditional exercise format. In looking back, yoga has enjoyed consistent appeal over the past decade, with 31 percent of the 1996 respondents including a yoga class on their weekly program rosters. Today, 66 percent of the survey respondents hold regular yoga classes.
• Other programs on the rise include indoor cycling, up seven points from the previous year for a total of 45 percent; kids-specific fitness, up a point from 2004 for a total of 41 percent; and boxing-based and kickboxing programs, up six points for a total of 48 percent.
• Step aerobic classes continue to be held by nearly 60 percent of all respondents, despite a downward trend in high-, low- and mixed-impact classes over the past decade.

  On the equipment side, a variety of interesting trends also emerged, including:

• Elliptical trainers, which are used by 74 percent of the respondents; have overtaken stair climbers, still widely available by 64 percent of IDEA members, and treadmills are still going strong at 76 percent of the facilities.
• Treadmills, elliptical trainers and free weights are the three most essential pieces of equipment identified most often by respondents.
• Tools for core conditioning, such as stability balls and fitness equipment, are used in almost all fitness settings. In fact, stability-ball classes are held by 58 percent of the survey respondents
• The use of stability and balance equipment, which was surveyed for the second time, is growing at a fast pace with Bosu(R), discs, wobble boards and balance boards employed by almost half of the participants.
• -Borrowed from sports conditioning and rehabilitation programs, balance equipment (70 percent) and foam rollers/small balls (64 percent) rapidly are gaining popularity.

"As part of IDEA's ongoing mission to 'Inspire the World to Fitness,' we have remained committed to being among the first to offer insight while evaluating how the latest program and equipment trends are shaping our industry," adds Davis. "As we look back over the past 10 years, we realize that our surveys have helped scores of IDEA members and equipment manufacturers address the growing and diverse fitness requirements."

About IDEA Health & Fitness Association

IDEA Health & Fitness Association is the world's leading membership organization of health and fitness professionals, with nearly 20,000 members in more than 80 countries. Since 1982, IDEA has provided health and fitness professionals with pertinent information, educational opportunities, career development programs and industry leadership while helping them enhance the quality of life worldwide through safe, effective fitness and lifestyle programs. For more information on IDEA events, publications, educational products, member services or other activities, visit www.ideafit.com