It’s not the most original New Year’s resolution, but that doesn’t make it a bad one. Resolving to work out more is a noble goal made by people trying to better themselves.
Unfortunately, it also tends to become next year’s resolution when it doesn’t stick the first time around.
But maybe 2020 will be different. How? Well, you could start by switching things up with a fresh workout that brings you out of your comfort zone and shocks the system. Being scared burns extra calories, right?
For those looking to jumpstart their fitness plans, here are 10 trends to try in 2020.
More: 2020 really could be a New Year, new you! How to keep those resolutions
1. Book a treadmill in a running class
The oldest exercise in the world is becoming new again: Running classes are popping up across the country with, typically, one instructor, rows of treadmill, motivational music and mood lighting. In 2018, fitness app ClassPass noted there was an 82% increase in reservations made for running classes, which are found at studios like Mile High Run Club and RacePace. This year, gym chain Equinox turned their most popular class, Precision Running, into a standalone studio in New York City (and being tested elsewhere) that offers a filter system that gives the air extra oxygen, which might sound ridiculous but actually makes you feel like you’ve become a superhuman who suddenly gets less winded than she ever used to.
2. Incorporate a trampoline into your workout
Remember when trampolines were (really dangerous and) a secret way that parents made sure their kids got some exercise? Now, you can actively choose to incorporate a bit of bounce into your cardio by trying a class, including versions at Body By Simone, LEKfit and Trampoline Trim, that feature high-impact, low-intensity choreographed jumping movements on small trampolines. There are also plenty of trampoline workouts online, should you be interested in purchasing some equipment for yourself.
3. Strap yourself to a Megaformer machine
Getting locked in to a spring-loaded Megaformer machine may sound torturous – and really, it is – but it also makes for a very effective and efficient workout. It’s worth putting your body through the pilates-focused class that’s big on lunges and core work, if just to say that you did the workout that many celebrities and ClassPass users (Megaformer is the biggest growing trend on the app in 2019) have tried. The classes are usually short, but they will leave you sore.
4. Work out on a vibrating plate
“You know what would make this exercise better? Doing it on a vibrating plate” is something that you’ve undoubtedly never thought. However, someone else thought it, and now vibrating plate workouts have become a fitness trend that proponents say is good for circulation and accelerating injury recovery time. We can’t prove that classes like the ones at PlateFit and VibeFlow Yoga work, as you do crunches and downward dogs on a vibrating surface and your teeth chatter. But we can encourage you to try them as a way to get playful about working out, and not to take it all too seriously.
5. Go on a fitness-focused trip
Forget the hotel gym: Now wellness companies are organizing trips where fitness is the primary focus. For example, Surf Yoga Beer and Equinox Explore offer international expeditions filled with sight-seeing and cuisine-tasting, but there’s also plenty of time for activities including yoga, surfing, biking, hiking and running. Imagine returning from a vacation and being fitter (as opposed to fatter)!
6. Try out the Tonal home gym
Tonal is the name for a digital weight machine that seems too futuristic to work. But work it does, while utilizing A.I. and electromagnetic weights to deliver pounds of up to 200 when “smart” handles or a bar are clipped and tethered to the wall-mounted device. It’s a home gym that offers a full-body workout and a smart coach (that anticipates the weights you need) without a weight bench. But it will cost you: The Tonal is $3,750 to buy and install. So don’t commit to purchasing it, necessarily, but check out Tonal showrooms where you can test the equipment and appreciate high-tech gadgetry.
7. Test out a so-called ‘playground’
You might call them bootcamps, but some high-intensity interval training classes now go by the name “playground,” because that just sounds more fun. These classes tend to feature fast-paced circuits that incorporate running, jumping, weights, high fives and teamwork. The gym Switch Playground brings things up a notch with a live DJ.
8. Experience a different kind of spinning
At this point, most exercisers have tried spin classes. But these days, you can pedal and sculpt, or practice yoga, and/or be underwater with the number of spin fusion classes available. Another option: Peloton bikes and the new Flywheel Home Bike allow users to work out and live stream classes from home. According to social network Strava’s annual sport study, the number of cyclists who have adopted virtual reality spinning has nearly tripled since 2016.
9. Climb in place on a vertical climber
The VersaClimber machine, which requires users to step and move their arms at the same time, has been around for decades. But now the challenging piece of cardio equipment that’s been touted by LeBron James is available in a group fitness class setting with heart-pumping music and dizzying light displays across the country. In particular, West Hollywood-based studio Rise Nation founded by celebrity trainer Jason Walsh has opened up new locations. Meditating has long been a wellness workout for the mind. ClassPass says meditation classes were the most popular type of wellness activities booked in 2019, which probably has to do with the fact that there are more options for ohm-ing in person and online than ever before. Look for classes within gyms, at yoga studios, in meditation centers and on apps. Or just try it yourself by being focusing on your breath, which is sometimes the hardest type of workout.10. Meditate
