Innovative Fitness Trends

For some people, the idea of going to a traditional gym for self-directed workouts is a significant barrier to exercising. Such a space can be intimidating, especially for beginners who don’t have a routine or a lot of experience with equipment, and it can even feel like a chore, something to simply check off your to-do list.

Luckily, there is more than one way to incorporate movement into your life. Breaking out of the conventional workout box means you can experiment with alternative approaches that encourage creative expression, flexibility, and just plain fun!

Aerial yoga

With this type of yoga, silk hammocks are attached to the ceiling and support your body’s weight as you hold poses or maneuver into tricks. It’s very joint friendly since you are held by the fabric through most of the class, and you can gain easier access to some poses or moves that are tough to do without assistance. This practice is not only photogenic but also really good for your body, offering cardio and muscle-mass benefits. Plus, because a lot of the workout is off the ground, you are forced to engage your core continuously to help stabilize yourself.

Animal Flow

Founded by educator and movement coach Mike Fitch, Animal Flow takes its cues from various other body-weight exercises such as parkour, gymnastics, and breakdancing. The program grew out of Fitch’s frustration with how beaten up his body felt doing more traditional weight training. Using gymnastics as his starting point, he eventually created the six components of Animal Flow: wrist mobilizations, activations, traveling forms, form-specific stretches, switches and transitions, and flow. Leaning hard into the animal theme, some of the basic positions include ape, beast, and crab. Suitable for all fitness levels, this fitness discipline is backed by peer-reviewed studies that tout its ability to increase mobility, strength, and muscle coordination, among other benefits.

Indoor rock climbing

This full-body workout uses your arms, shoulders, back, and core to grasp holds and lift your body weight up a rock wall. As you navigate routes, you’ll work on grip strength, flexibility, and coordination, and the exertion will boost your cardiovascular health. Plus, a lot of rock climbing involves having someone to belay and spot for you to keep you safe, providing social benefits as well, especially if you join a climbing gym. You’ll start seeing the same people and forming a community—such support and encouragement is important both when trying more advanced climbs and for life in general.

Kangoo Jumps

To get started with this workout, strap on a pair of rebound boots, which are specially designed bouncy shoes. They are perfect for all ages and fitness levels and can be used in group classes or on your own while jogging, running, or cross-training. The design of the footwear reduces the impact on your joints while also enabling you to burn more calories and increase bone density. Another perk of the boots is their ability to correct your posture by holding you in alignment, starting from the ankles. The up-front cost of the boots is steep at $265 to $285, but they should last around five years. And hopping around on something so futuristic looking will definitely motivate you to move more.

Kukuwa Fitness

You’ll find it hard not to smile while participating in this African dance–inspired workout. Creator Kukuwa Kyereboah is on a mission to “help people feel and be the best version of themselves through African dance, fitness, wellness, curated travel, community service, and positive energy.” She excitedly encourages participants to “move your boombsey” while grooving to music and rhythms from all over Africa. However, this program is about so much more than just dance—it combines movement with the best aspects of traditional African wellness to help participants feel better from the inside out.

Lindy Hop dancing

If you love music, socializing, and tricking your body into exercising, swing dancing is for you! Originating in Harlem in the late 1920s, this art form was invented by Black dancers at the Savoy Ballroom, the place to be to hear great jazz musicians like Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb and see dancers like Frankie Manning and Norma Miller. Lindy Hop scenes exist all around the world (just search online for “Lindy Hop groups near me”) and are some of the friendliest in terms of welcoming newcomers—no partner is needed since dancers switch partners after each song. A night of Lindy Hopping will have your heart pumping, your feet moving, and your brain processing.

Trapeze

Adrenaline junkies will be quickly hooked on this discipline that falls under the umbrella of circus arts. In your initial lessons, you’ll be introduced to the foundations of trapeze, including the safety gear and how to climb the ladder, take off from the platform, and knee-hang from the bar. (That first jump will take your breath away!) You will also learn how to do a backflip dismount off the trapeze to land into the net. Once you perfect the knee hang, you’ll move onto catching, which means hanging upside down on your bar and grabbing an instructor’s wrists to then swing with them on theirs. It’s a practice that involves tremendous focus, pushing the limits of both your mind and body by improving your strength, coordination, and confidence.

However you choose to incorporate fitness in your life, make it a priority to find something that nourishes your mind and spirit as well as your body. The more you look forward to exercise, the more you’ll do it. And with so many options, from musical to social to exhilarating, there is something for everyone.