Yoga Jumps to Position 7 in Top 20 Worldwide Fitness Trends

If you’ve recently incorporated more yoga into your fitness routine, you’re part of a growing trend.  Moving from the number 10 spot last year, yoga has jumped to number 7 in a survey of worldwide fitness trends for 2015. 

Yoga has ranked in the top 20 since the survey began nine years ago (except in 2009), but only last year did it move into the top ten rankings, when it entered the 10th place for top 2014 fitness trends, up from 14th in 2013. 

If you ever wondered if yoga is just short-lived a fad, the consistent rise in the survey of worldwide fitness trends indicates otherwise. The survey is conducted by the editors of the Health & Fitness Journal, which is published by the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM), the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world.

The annual survey is sent out to thousands of health and fitness professionals worldwide to get a grassroots perspective on the exercise programs currently driving the market. The results help people in the industry make important programming and business decisions.

The number 1 position in the survey went to body weight training, a form of resistance training using the body’s own weight, making it easy to exercise at home or the gym.  Number 2 on the list went to high-intensity interval training, which ranked number 1 in the survey last year and remains popular worldwide.

And in 3rd place for a second year is educated, certified, and experienced fitness professionals.  Exercise programs supervised by professionals have become even more popular because there are now accreditations by national third-party organizations. These assure the public of the education and expertise of their trainers. 

Of the 20 fitness and exercise programs ranked in the survey, some represent enduring trends with a big impact and some will fade in popularity, but based on yoga’s steady rise in the ranks over the last 6 years, yoga has a broad base of support among practitioners and might well continue to enjoy broad popularity.

The results of the annual survey are intended to help the health and fitness industry make decisions for future growth and development. It casts light on emerging trends embraced by a broad range of health fitness professionals, rather than the latest exercise innovation marketed during late-night television or the next hottest celebrity.