How is Cardio Fitness Equipment Changing the Fitness Industry?

Every year we experience a flux of new fitness trends coming in as old ones die out or at least fall out of the common conversation. So what has 2019 have in store for us in our search for cardiovascular health and shed pounds?

First off is the major resurgence of wearables that will track your vitals as well as location with GPS.

While the technology has been around for quite some time, it has experienced a sudden explosion of interest with its potential with cloud information and Bluetooth linking to various modern devices.

A few years back we saw Pokemon Go cause an explosion of younger and less fitness-minded individuals out and walking under the goal of catching digital monsters as rewards for their treks.

New apps that can link to wearables have expanded this digital incentive out towards people less interested in Pokemon by creating goals and achievements, tracking individual progress, and allowing users a rewarding experience seeing their growth while using the app.

All this came together to lead to wearables that can track information for these apps to lunge back into first place on the ACSM survey for 2019.

Growing Trends in the Fitness Industry

A less explosive but still growing trend is rowing machines.

They’ve been experiencing striking growth along the eastern seaboard and are slowly creeping westward as a rising star in the cardio equipment world.

This is in part due to the affordability of many of these units whose unit price can often be found under $1000. An example of this would be the BH Fitness S1RW Rower which is currently $999 for a new unit.

Rowers also have been benefiting from the growth of CrossFit which has introduced users to rowers and left a lasting affinity for the affordable cardio equipment.

It also helps that rowers are a wonderful full body workout that makes good use of the user’s arms making it an efficient single machine workout.

This coupled with the ease of moving and storing modern rowers and their lack of electrical needs have made them a growing trend for home gyms for people who don’t have the room space to dedicate to a real gym.

These rowers have also been seeing growing popularity in some gyms which have moved from having just a single pair of rowers to as many as 16 as they’ve become a popular alternative to the treadmill or bicycle.

Rowers for High-Intensity Interval Training

There have even been fitness studios popping up dedicated entirely to rowing machines as a means of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

HIIT has also been on the rise as a time efficient way of getting in cardio exercise in a busy schedule allowing even the busiest of individuals to get their workouts in a few times a week and stay in shape to keep up with the demands of their lives.

HIIT exercise routines can however be dangerous when not supervised by a fitness instructor so it is advised to at least start your training in classes dedicated to the form of exercise, where not only will you benefit from the safety of the trained professionals, but you can also benefit from the factors of group competition which will help you push yourself harder and further to keep up with the group.

This competitive spirit is a powerful force in getting the most out of your short time spent focused on HIIT exercise routines which may use a variety of cardio exercises and equipment such as bikes, rowers, treadmills, or just active movements on a mat or boot camp inspired obstacles.

Exercise Equipment for Seniors

Another growing trend in the cardio world is the participation of seniors and older adults who will need or prefer certain accommodations in their equipment.

Simple easy to start and low-speed option treadmills like the Life Fitness T3 Treadmill are good options to consider as they include a simple to use interface, a wide belt to walk on along with ergonomic bars to hold onto for safety and help you step out to the platforms to the side of the belt.

This treadmill also features a solid low range of speeds starting at 0.5 mph which makes it a solid option for seniors to walk on.

Another option for older adults to consider would be the Matrix TF30 XIR Ultimate Treadmill if they are seeking a machine that can offer a challenge without the stress on the joints that can be painful for running.

Machines like this cost more but offer alternative ways to add difficulty to your exercise outside of raw speed.

This includes resistance, but more importantly, incline which is a perfect way to make a workout more difficult without adding extra stress to the joints and offers a good range of motion to the user.

Get a wide range of workout machines from Fitness Expo. Visit our Kenner location or our other stores: Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Metairie, and Jackson MS.