The new year often brings with it new routines and a chance to start anew. What better way to help set your fitness goals than a quick review of some of the most popular fitness trends of 2019. Some of these have been popular for several years, while others have hit their stride in the last 12 months. These workouts have become some of the most searched and most sought out fitness trends for a reason. They get results.
The One Punch Man Workout
If you are a fan of anime, you may have heard of One Punch Man, a character whose talent is knocking out his opponents with one punch. This trend started as a challenge on Youtube when an influencer decided to train like One Punch Man might, doing 100 sit-ups, push-ups, squats, and a 10K run every day for 100 days. While most challengers don’t start at 100 reps a day (50 or less if you aren’t already in great shape), the daily workouts require no equipment and improve overall muscle tone and endurance. Don’t forget to add rest days to avoid injury.
Planks
Plank challenges seemed to be another fitness trend that got their start on social media and spread like wildfire. The principle is simple enough: you follow a predetermined program of modified planks with increasing difficulty for several days, usually 30. Using proper form is very important for this kind of exercise, as it is very easy to hurt your back, neck, or joints if you have poor posture. By adding weights and bursts of cardio, a plank challenge can become an effective workout that requires little or no equipment.
Beach Body
Beach Body Guide or BBG is a workout program offered on Kayla Itsine’s app and website. She is the co-creator of this program, which aims to get you bathing suit ready. This is no quick fix – the workouts range in intensity and duration from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the level you choose. There are between 52 to 92 weeks worth of workouts available with the program. It is important to note that there are also many other Beach Body-like programs out there with similar programs and results.
Finally, for the traditionalists, there is Couch to 5K (C25K).
This popular app helps to put you through your paces, helping non-runners gradually build up their endurance until they can complete a 5k. The programs are easy to follow, increase in difficulty and the level of gradual intensity, and encourage you to move at your own pace.