Experts Say Old School Workouts Are Still the Best

Experts confirmed that old-school workouts compared to high-tech or technology-centered ones are still the best, according to Reuters.

"It's my theory that we've hit a critical mass in group fitness," said Donna Cyrus, senior vice president of programming Crunch Fitness. "Mats, Bosu (stability) balls, body bars: by the time you put all this stuff on the floor it's 10 minutes into your workout. Most successful fitness classes require very little equipment and many are 30 minutes long, down from the hour or more that was standard a few years ago."

"With every minute taken up by social media, and people never out of a working state, it's a way for people to get these workouts in," she explained. Her observations were supported by the American College of Sports Medicine (ASCM), which predicted High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and bodyweight training as the top two fitness trends of 2014.

High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT employs short, intense bouts of activity with short rest periods in between. It uses bodyweight exercises and can be adjusted depending on the person's pace and capacity, according to the Examiner. Previous studies have shown that this type of workout increases the body's fitness level faster than a steady state of cardiovascular routine like jogging. HIIT and bodyweight training is more challenging and offers variations that will encourage more and more people to exercise regularly.

Dr. Walter Thompson of the ASCM said that today, it appears that people are going back to the basics of exercising. "Folks just can't afford to go to specialized exercise programs," he said, noting that neither Pilates nor Zumba are predicted to trend in 2014. "Retention data shows that people get bored with an exercise program in three to six months if they're not challenged or the program is not varied enough," he explained. Yoga is regarded as an exception because it is still extremely popular.