Hottest Fitness Trends for 2020

By San Diego Entertainer | January 2, 2020

Joella Hopkins is the Vice President of Group Fitness at EōS Fitness, which has 9 high value, low price gym locations and counting across San Diego and Southern California. She has over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry. See eosfitness.com for locations and seasonal promotions.

The Rise and Fall of the Boutique Studio

Full-service gyms were all the hype back in the 90s and well into the 2000s. Everyone was joining the gym! It was the “cool” thing to do and gym membership sales were big business. Workout floors and “aerobic classes” were filled with people from all walks of life. Class offerings back then were mostly hi/low impact, step aerobics, “spinning” and muscle toning.

Then in the mid-2000s things changed drastically with the inception of “boutique” studios. From cycling to yoga, HIIT to Pilates, they were popping up everywhere. People were willing to pay a lot of money to attend these “trendy” classes.  

They’re Coming Back to the Gym

The good is we are seeing this trend change as of late. In 2020 we are optimistic that people will start heading back to the gym for classes, and the popularity of the boutiques will fizzle. There are few reasons for this:

• People are bored doing the same type of workout over and over and crave more variety.
• Injuries are happening because of the lack of cross-training, as well as the rise of primarily HIIT (high-intensity interval training) style workouts.
• It’s just too expensive!

Group Fitness is Not Slowing Down

The trend of classes (both large and small group style) is going to continue, but only the best will survive. At EōS Fitness, we believe you don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars a month to get the best instructors, best classes and hottest fitness equipment.

More Trends We Expect to See:

• Classes for adults who are “in-between”.

The old adage “no pain no gain” is ridiculous, and exercise should not damage our joints and ligaments.  The overabundance of HIIT training has caused many people to over-train in ways that are not necessarily good for their bodies. Nobody wants to be considered “old” and attend a class that makes you feel that way. People still want to get their heart rate up, get stronger, and push their physical and mental limits – just without all the jumping and high impact.

• Better yoga offerings at the gym is a must.

We know more interesting yoga offerings entice people who have never done yoga to try it, yet also cater to the true yogis.  The mind/body trend is going to continue to get even stronger. Ensuring a warmer environment to practice yoga is also something people look for.

• A surge in “fusion-style” workouts.

At EōS Fitness, we offer a class called “20/20/20” which contains three entirely different disciplines in one class. One workout could be kickboxing, Pilates, and strength – the next could be Zumba, bodyweight training, and then yoga. Members love this because they get the variety and the effective cross-training (as well as mental stimulation) they desire, but don’t have to spend three hours in the gym to do it.

• Kids’ programming is essential.

Obesity in kids and self-esteem issues is at an all-time high. We know getting kids involved in fitness-related activities can help. The physical, mental and emotional health of a child is something we all need to take responsibility for. At EōS Fitness, we will be starting kid’s classes in 2020 – we realize creating a habit of fitness early in a kid’s life can put them on a healthier and happier trajectory for a lifetime!

• Less working out at home alone.

The at-home workout videos and equipment trends will continue, but their popularity will start to slow down. Even though some of the workouts may be good, most people are not committed or motivated enough to stick with it for the long run alone. There are a few individuals this can really work for, but statistically speaking, most people fail even with the best of intentions. Even the best video or piece of equipment can’t take the place of that personal trainer waiting for you at the gym at 6:00 am.

• Gadgets and more gadgets 

People love to be entertained, and when you can combine your workouts with a high-tech cool fitness tracker then why not? When something can do all the manual calculating and tracking for you, it’s like having your own personal gym assistant! At EōS Fitness we also offer CBC (Coach by Color) classes on our group cycling schedules that offer our members the ability to track their progress with an app on their phone. This app ties in with our Life Fitness bikes and allows them to work out according to their own fitness level in the correct zone based on their power output on the bike.

Most fitness trends like all trends come and go – but some do stand the test of time like group classes. Whatever you decide to try, just remember that something is better than nothing. The new year is a fantastic time to give something new a shot – remember, there will be other new people, so you don’t have to feel insecure or nervous about not knowing what you’re doing.