ACSM Survey Predicts 2010 Fitness Trends

ACSM spelled CRAP.

"A lasting trend is developing in health and fitness, according to an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) survey published in the November/December issue of ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal®. The importance of experienced and educated fitness professionals remains the top predicted fitness trend for the third straight year.

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. Nearly 1,500 completed surveys were received from respondents around the world. Thirty-seven potential trends were given as choices, with the top 20 ranked and published by ACSM.

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. This trend has moved up the list since the survey's inception in 2007, when it ranked third.

Strength training surged to second in the rankings, an indicator of the increased focus on strength training for various populations. Though strength training once was viewed only as a training method for male bodybuilders, more average exercisers and women are realizing its importance for healthy bones, muscles and aging.

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.'"

ACSM, IMHO, is about as reputable as a house of ill repute.

It is the organization that brought you impossible exercise recommendations. (see here, here and here)

It also stands to benefit from endorsing the use of personal trainers, who are by and large, IMHO, useless. (They run "certification" programs for "personal trainers" and others - save $60 if you join!)

(Admittedly, I make fitness ebooks available for purchase. You will have to decide if the integrity of my message of self-sufficiency is real and more to your benefit than other messages, e.g., the ACSM's.)

"Consumers [who] are more conscious of their finances than ever," would not waste a penny on a trainer, with rare exception, e.g., a physical diability.