Fitness Fads and Trends – HYROX

Last week I said I was going to write about injury recovery, but I am putting that off to chat about one of my favourite things – fitness fads and trends!

Each year new fitness fads and trends emerge and die. Why could we care? Because it’s important to be able to spot a fad or trend so you avoid getting swept up in the hype and have it ruin your training routine (well… your routine at best, your body at worst). Is there a difference between a fad and a trend, and, more importantly, are they ALWAYS bad?

Yep, there’s a difference, and nope, they’re not always bad. Let me explain…

Fads are usually some type of equipment, promising stunning results (remember Ab Blasters? Get them for $31.99 on Amazon, and watch, as this amazing fitness tool RAPIDLY transforms into dusty garage junk). Fads tend to be bad, in that they use emotional manipulation to get mass sales. If the product was good, they wouldn’t need to use this method. People often use the fad product once, then realise it doesn’t work as implied (oh, I need to TRAIN to lose fat, not just zap my winter doona). So, if someone is making you feel shitty about yourself (check in with how your body FEELS or what stories your mind is telling you when you see the product), what they are selling is probably a fad. (Sidenote - No disrespect to winter doonas either, I know plenty of people with cores as strong as Pauline Hanson’s racist mindset, just with healthy subcutaneous fat over the top. Pauline could do with some healthy fats I think, maybe it’ll help her form some better neural connections.)

Another telltale sign is the ads - if they’re using monochrome (read: sadness, frustration, unhappiness) filters for the “before” part, and vibrant technicolour (read: happiness, fulfillment, pride, success) for the “after” bit, then it’s a fadddddddyyy fad! Keep your dollies in your wally.

Trends are shifts in social perception that relate to the usefulness of particular types of exercise. For example, the HIIT trend (enter F45), and the Pilates trend (enter the 28 Pilates studios at your local shops). Both HIIT and Pilates are useful but watch out for the die-hards. Trends become toxic (and usually massive) because of an incredible pull from the cultural side (emphasis on cult). People or companies working the toxic cultural angle will say that what they do is “best form of training to do, everyone should do it, you don’t need any other form.” They emphasise exclusivity rather than variety. It’s a classic way to get an Us vs Them feeling happening, and humans love to be part of an in-crowd!

ENTER HYROX. A “functional fitness race that's challenging yet accessible. This hybrid competition combines strength and endurance exercises, attracting a growing number of fitness enthusiasts worldwide”. Sound familiar?

Check out the full article here > https://www.vervefitness.com.au/a/blog/hyrox-the-new-challenger-to-crossfit

This is where you need reality glasses on. Is your friend getting wrapped up in the CrossFit / HYROX / Reformer Pilates / (insert any brand of training here) culture? Are they speaking about their coach as if they are a god? Are they training when they are exhausted? Are they being taught to IGNORE their body’s signals? Are they trying to become someone else? (spoiler, my goal with training is for you to be more like you, not for you to become more like me).

Now, don’t get me wrong, being motivated and excited to train is always good! I am a big fan of trying new things purely for the dopamine hit and the focus it brings to the rest of my training (for example, doing banded squats that frankly, I don’t want to do, but I will do them because it makes my legs springy for acrobatics). But I have had enough experience with toxic culture that I can spot it a mile away. And I know that fitness trends change, and so do the needs of my body. I may not be flipping around in 10 years, I will need something else. So, I use trends as motivational tools, but I don’t make my life about the trend. And I try not to BECOME a tool 😉 

If we can rely on discipline to keep us training in between the motivational spurts, we will hit our long-term health goals. Learning to spot fitness fads and trends gives you more choice in your training. You can join the cultural hype when it works and leave it when it doesn’t. I will personally be following Hyrox with interest. Have you ever been part of a fitness fad or trend? Let’s chat about it! Reply to this post, or shoot em an email at sally.bromley@live.com.au

I find them endlessly fascinating.