New Fitness Trends from Denver

Sweatin’ to the Oldies with Richard Simmons, the Bowflex Home Gym, the Jane Fonda Workout, the Thighmaster, Buns of Steel, Tae Bo, Jazzercise—Ah, the fitness fads of yesteryear. The way to stay fit seems to be constantly changing. New trends suddenly pop up, replacing something that you were sure was here to stay (Ab Roller, where are you now?).

When searching for the next big thing in fitness, where better to look than Denver, a city often cited for being one of the fittest in the nation? In the Mindbody Wellness Index, we discovered that 78% of Denver residents exercise at least once a week; the national average is 70%. Even more impressive, 46% of Denver residents work out three times a week or more! With so many sweat sessions happening in Colorado’s capital (see for yourself what’s on available on Mindbody), it’s possible to get a sense of what’s happening now and what’s new and about to be the next big fitness trend.

The hottest fitness classes in town

At the moment, yoga is the most popular class/group exercise in metro Denver across all ages, with 29% saying they go to yoga classes at least once a week. Weight/strength training and CrossFit® follow in the top three, with 17% and 16%, respectively. The top three reasons for exercising are to gain/lose weight, to reduce stress, and to feel good. 

Twenty-eight percent of Denver respondents reported that they prioritize exercise, with an additional 47% answering that they try to prioritize fitness when they can. With so many folks focused on exercise, they’re bound to want to try something new.

The new fitness trends that are heating up

If you own a Denver metro fitness business, you’ll want to take note of which groups are looking to try your type of exercise next and market to them. Just as age groups differ in their current fitness routines, they also want to try different classes next.

These are types of classes that people are wanting to try next:

• 18-25 year-olds: 33% want to try kickboxing, 24% CrossFit®, 18% aerobics, martial arts, Pilates, or Zumba®/dance fitness (tie)

• 26-45 year-olds: 17% want to try CrossFit®, 15% weight/strength training, 14% kickboxing

• 46-65 year-olds: 15% want to try Zumba®/dance fitness, 14% gentle martial arts, 13% Pilates or weight/strength training (tie)

Based on these results, kickboxing and CrossFit® seem to be especially appealing for younger age groups. The older generation is ready to dance and explore lower impact exercises. Fitness businesses owners will want to make sure that they’re targeting segments that are particularly enthusiastic about their type of fitness.

Eighteen to 25 year-olds are interested in trying fitness classics like aerobics as well as exploring the fitness frontier through aerial workouts. While 9% of 26-45 year-olds are interested in sampling aerial workouts, only 6% of 46-65 year-olds say they want to try it. In general, the younger respondents were, the more they wanted to try something new. In the two younger age groups, almost everyone is looking to try something new; 88% of 18-25 year-olds and 87% of 26-45 year-olds are hoping to branch out. Meanwhile, 78% of 46-65 year-olds want to go outside of their current exercise regimen and trying something new. If you have a new type of workout, you should consider looking to younger age groups to be your first adopters.

How do people in Denver find out about new fitness trends?

Where you get your information depends on when you were born, too. YouTube and Instagram are the most popular sources for fitness information for those age 18-24, with 51% and 47% looking to these channels, respectively. However, for those in the 25-45 age range, word of mouth, and blog/websites are the top sources, with 45% and 37%. The top three blogs/websites (across both age ranges) are Life Fitness, Tone It Up, and Workout Mommy.*

Getting those steps in...

Tech is another significant trend in the quest to get fit. Fitness trackers have become an important part of accountability and exercise routines (more on the rise of the fitness tracker here). In a recent survey, 69% of Denver residents reported owning a fitness tracker. The top brand for trackers was Fitbit (with 57% of owners having chosen the brand), followed by Apple (at 30%).*

Where are we headed?

Perhaps fueled by their fitness trackers, much of Denver is looking to attempt new types of exercise, with differences across age groups, allowing for a wide range of exercise forms.

As a trend-savvy Denver business owner, you’ll want to do the following:

• Take the time to identify the group you should be focusing your marketing efforts on and where you can find them (and they can find you!).
• Survey your current clients and see if there are new forms of exercise they’d like to try at your studio. If it fits within your brand and there’s enough interest, try it out!
• Check out the competition on the platform you want people to find you on. See who’s attracting a lot of buzz, and see what’s getting them all the attention!

By all accounts, there’s a fit future ahead! With a little bit of research (ours and yours!), you can be, not just a fitness fad, but one step ahead of the trend game, a true classic.

*MINDBODY Consumer Insights Survey, April 2018