In 2022, we’ll be dealing with wearable tech and home gyms, but we’re not ready to ditch big box memberships just yet.
new investigation of American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Sport and Fitness journal, surveyed 4,500 international fitness experts on what they saw as current trends in the industry.
Wearable tech like Fitbits and smartwatches took the top spot (they’ve done so since they appeared on the list in 2016) and home gyms took second place among the top trends of 2022.
Outdoor training such as boot camps, virtual classes, online personal training, bodyweight training, and outdoor activities made the top 20 this year.
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In New Zealand, we’re following the same trends, says fitness and wellness influencer Logan Dodds, who finally got his dream home gym in 2020 (with a sauna and backyard ice bath), inspired by our first cases. of Covid-19. in March.
“The dream was always to have a home gym garage,” he says. And there’s no guarantee that gyms won’t be forced to close again.
“You want to have an environment where you can exercise anywhere, anytime, and in any situation.”
Logan Dodds/stuff
The influencer Logan Dodds at home.
The tech aspect of fitness goes hand-in-hand with that setup: Dodds uses a $7-a-month subscription service, True Hustle, to keep up.
“Just click on your phone and find out what the workout of the day is, and smash that.”
The technology can be as affordable as apps like this, or as stylish as high-end smart gear like a $5,000 Peloton bike (currently only available in Australia, and the company hopes to increase its global reach soon).
Logan Dodds/stuff
Influencer Logan Dodds recently built the garage gym of his dreams.
Auckland-based personal trainer Alistair Boyd says Dodds isn’t alone: there’s a huge rise in people exercising at home.
“I know there has been a lot of caution with people going back to a bigger place. [gym-based] environment,” he says, adding that for the unvaccinated, at home is also the only option. Under the red and orange traffic light setup, commercial gyms can only open if they are checking vaccination passports.
“There’s a combination of that, and a combination of not being entirely comfortable with coming back. [in the gym].”
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Rob Holah, owner of Industry Athletic, in the weight room.
Industrial Athletic owner Rob Holah knows his functional fitness equipment. He has set up home gyms for Dodds, as well as big sports names like Valerie Adams and Carlos Spencer.
When Covid-19 first shut down New Zealand, he says it increased demand for home equipment. “It was crazy”.
Equipment demand increased tremendously, but supply chain disruptions meant they were constantly trying to catch up.
“Inquiries skyrocketed. Sales didn’t increase because we couldn’t get equipment.”
But that doesn’t mean gyms are a thing of the past. In fact, they are doing as well as ever.
“I thought people would leave commercial gyms en masse [after the first lock down]. That didn’t happen.”
So why are home gyms so popular when commercial spaces continue to thrive? For one thing, more people are prioritizing health.
“People have realized that it is an important part of life. Many more people are reaching their 30s and 40s and are no longer bulletproof. A lot of people are realizing that,” says Holah.
And those who choose both? Well, people have to spend their money somewhere.
“Most people don’t go on vacation, so they spend their money in the country.”
And much of that money goes toward training accessibility.
“The indefinite nature of when the closures were coming scared people, so they wanted to have a little more stability.”
Alora Griffiths/unsplash
More people are prioritizing health.
Getting established can seem intimidating in terms of costs. A fully functional home gym setup can cost anywhere from around $5,000 to $10,000.
If you’re adding multiple machines, saunas, and “frills,” you can go as fancy as you like. But PT Boyd says that working out at home can also be as cheap as you choose.
“You don’t need a lot of equipment. A resistance trainer, a TRX, is very versatile and does not take up space. You need a bar or beam to hang it on, and you can do a full body workout with that one piece of equipment. And it’s pretty cheap too.”
What if you want to spend money on the heaviest functional equipment? Get in quick because home gyms are here to stay.
“There’s a huge demand, so whatever you get sells fast,” he says. “People are buying what they can when they can.”
However, what it ultimately comes down to is convenience.
While going to the gym can be an hour and a half round trip, when Dodds is working from home, he can sneak downstairs for 30 minutes and be back at work before his lunch break is over.
And saving time is something we can all get behind.
