How a Fitness Trend Becomes a Fitness Standard

Hot new fitness classes come and go, but what does it take to make really last for the ages?

The past decade alone has seen buzz swarm around the slide board, Tae Bo, and step aerobics, but now they're barely on the workout radar anymore, according to CNN. Even Pilates, which ranked #9 on a survey of the top fitness trends by the American College of Sports Medicine in 2010, has fallen off the list for 2011.

The survey's lead author, Walt Thompson, told CNN he believes the equipment and instructors necessary for a Pilates class made it too expensive for clubs to keep.

"The problem with the high-intensity kind of programs is that they deliver a punch like severe weight loss programs do, but they're difficult to comply with in the long haul," he said.

That's a challenge that workouts du jour like boot camp and P90X will have to contend with -- but could easily overcome if it remains accessible, fun, and effective. That's how fitness classes like Zumba, Spin, and body pump have managed to stay popular. 

"The trick only lasts so long," Carl Daikeler, CEO of Beachbody, the company behind P90X and Insanity, told CNN. "The best designers aren't looking for trends; the best designers set the trends."

Whatever comes out next, though, Daikeler said he hopes to see an end to the current biggest trend in America: obesity.

"The little black dress of fitness" [CNN]

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