Ranking popular Fitness trends

1. Pilates for strength - 4/10

   It can be a great entry level for people explore range of motion through their bodies and, for beginners, you can certainly achieve some increases in strength. The problem however is that pilates has a low ceiling when it comes to how far you can progress. Your bones and muscles require high levels of external force to create the adaptations you need. Even adding in dumbbells and doing it every day, you are limited with how much you can progress. Most people would hit their ceiling within a year. In summary, great for movement, can be very strenuous, but less great for strength gains.

2. Sauna - 5/10

   There are some interesting bits of research around sauna benefits but the hype needs to be given a reality check. Saunas can give benefit to cardiovascular fitness if used immediately after a run, but caution applies as hydration risks can come into play. For longevity, the research which highlights mortality risk benefits were done on people who used a sauna at least 4 times per week over a number of years. These results have not been able to be replicated in shorter or less frequent time frames so the return for effort might not be worth it. They can be a nice quiet time to chill, which has some sound mental health benefits.

3. Hybrid Training - 10/10

   Hybrid style training has been recommended by the Australian government, medical and health industries for the last 30 years. Training most days with a wide variety of activities, cardiovascular work on most days with some high intensity efforts if possible, plus strength training on 2-3 days using compound movements. Great for maintaining health, preventing disease, and a great base for approaching any performance training needs.

4. WHOOP - 4/10

   Can provide some motivation to pursue healthy behaviours but ling term research shows they don't impact behaviour change significantly. Can be helpful for those who depend on specific measurement for their training, but for joe average they probably create more health anxiety than they are worth.

5. Carbo plated running shoes - 3/10

   For elite runners, they're great for racing. They're chasing the 1%.

   For the everyday athlete, mostly unnecessary. The average athlete has too many other variables to impact their performance before the need for carbon shoes arises. On top of that, using ONLY carbon plated shoes can INCREASE the risk of injury due to repetitive force allied to the foot.

Don't get lost in the weeds of health and fitness. Trust your body and stay consistent.

Tim Douge AEP - Exercise Physiologist.