Ten fitness trends to try in 2014

IF your New Year's resolution has already slid off the rails, take a look at these 10 ways to get into shape in 2014.

LOOKING for the best ways to work up a sweat and get that bod into shape this year? Look no further.

1. Aerial yoga

Gravity is so 2013. This year is all about weightlessness.

If your regular yoga class is putting you to sleep why not take gravity out of the equation and mix things up? Aerial or antigravity yoga is a great way to build strength and flexibility. Each class involves performing yoga moves in an antigravity hammock which is suspended from the ceiling. Think Cirque Du Soleil meets yoga.

2. Ballet barre workouts

Friends Heidi Doran, Yvette Lakin, Klair Jarratt and Sara Czarnota practising Xtend Barre studio in Drummoyne.

Xtend Barre, Barre 8, Pure Barre … whatever its incarnation, this workout is a fave of celebs (Sarah Murdoch swears by it!) for one reason: it chisels your body like no other. The mix of ballet, yoga and Pilates means you're getting a total body workout that will leave you leaner and more toned.

3. Obstacle course training

Looks like fun, right? Right?

We never could have predicted that obstacle course events such as Tough Mudder and Spartan Race would be so hugely popular, but it seems there's a market out there for fitness events that will truly test your physical limits. So it's no wonder training for them has spawned a new trend in workouts. Think a fitness regime that involves plenty of running plus bodyweight training and lifting weights. It's about getting a strong body that will withstand the rigours of an obstacle course.

4. Online fitness programs

Use the internet for more than just watching cat videos! Online fitness programs that will give you a complete fitness, diet and health plan with just a few mouse clicks are becoming more popular as time poor people wish to tackle their training and diet at their own pace. Our favourite? The all-new body+soul revolution program - choose between four 10-week programs designed to make you lose weight, feel great and have bundles of energy.

5. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Simon Bennett and Bethany Wall doing a HIIT workout.

Speaking of time poor, loooong workouts are out and high intensity interval training that takes as little as 30 minutes is in. In fact HIIT topped the American College of Sports Medicine's worldwide survey of top fitness trends for 2014. HIIT involves short intense bursts of exercise followed by short breaks to recover. Expect to do everything from bodyweight training to sprints and plyometrics. The fact it takes so little time to do and yields such impressive results means it will be the darling of workouts this year.

6. Fusion fitness

Our love affair with hybrid workouts doesn't seem to be waning. Fusion fitness combines at least two training disciplines such as boxing and Pilates or running and strength training which means you'll get the benefit of two workouts in one. Bonus!

7. Working out while you work

Obviously you'd need to change out of that sweaty suit before your next meeting.

We spend most of our day at work, so it seems if you can't get away from the office to train why not bring it to you? Treadmill desks (yes, it's a treadmill with a desk attachment) in the office are not uncommon in workplaces in the US and it means you can read a report while pounding the pavement at the same time. Also walking meetings where you walk and talk are becoming popular as we all try and combat our sedentary lifestyles.

8. Outdoor training

Get out of the gym and into the great outdoors. Activities such as canoeing, kayaking and hiking are being incorporated more and more into workout routines by the fitness pros. Why should you try it? If you're the kind of person who counts down the minutes until a class is over at the gym, this is the kind of workout you won't even notice you're doing because you're too distracted by Mother Nature.

9. Bodyweight training

Kayla Mulvogue pictured mid-burpee. Burpees are nobodies friend. But they're good for you.

Using your bodyweight as resistance is a minimalist workout - all you need is you - but it does yield impressive results. Bodyweight training involves embracing moves such as push-ups, burpees, lunges, squats and planks to help build muscle, burn calories and boost endurance. As anyone who has faced the prospect of a round of burpees or lunges knows, you really can feel the burn.

10. Personal training

Yes, personal trainers have been around for a while, but there seems to be a growing move towards hiring qualified and trained PTs simply because it works. It makes you more accountable to sticking to a regular workout routine and it also means you'll be pushed much harder than you will probably push yourself.

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