The survey, now in its fourth year, was distributed to ACSM certified health and fitness professionals worldwide and was designed to reveal trends in various fitness environments.

Consistent with 2009 results, the elevated importance of experienced and educated fitness professionals was identified as the top trend of 2010, likely due to increased industry regulation and an influx of specialty certifications and educational programs available for these professionals.

Strength training surged to second in the rankings, an indicator of the increased focus on strength training for various populations.

Walter Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, lead author of the fitness trends survey, says the 2010 predicted trends reflect consumer intelligence.

“Consumers are more conscious of their finances than ever,” he said. “If they’re going to work with a fitness professional to improve their health, they’re going to do their homework and find someone who’s educated, experienced and certified by a reputable organization such as ACSM, NSCA, NASM, NFPT.”

ACSM’s top 5 fitness trends for 2010 are:

1. Educated and experienced fitness professionals
2. Strength training
3. Children and obesity
4. Personal training
5. Core training

Source: American College of Sports Medicine

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