The Times - UK (2022-01-01)

the times Saturday January 1 2022

12 Body + Soul

Heavy hula-hoops to

blitz belly fat EMS — the high-tech

way to build muscle

SUPAWAT PUNNANON/EYEEM/GETTY IMAGES; BEN GRUBB

Last year may have been all about Peloton

classes and wild swimming, but what does

2022 have in store when it comes to

fitness? Here we predict the wellness

trends for the year ahead:

Weighted hula hoops

This age-old playground game is likely to

be 2022’s most fashionable way to work

your core and shift the belly fat. The new

twist? The hoop is weighted. A recent

survey by PureGym found searches for

weighted hula hoops to be one of the big-

gest new trends, with internet searches

more than doubling since this time last

year. For good reason. Studies have shown

that hula-hooping with a weighted hoop

really does help to shed pounds. One paper

in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning

asked women to attend a weekly hula class

and to do at-home hooping on another

four days a week. Using a hoop weighing

1.7kg, the participants practised for two to

six minutes a day in week one of the trial,

rising to 15 minutes daily by week six, with

results confirming that weighted hula-

hooping reduced waist and hip circumfer-

ence after six weeks. (Hula weighted hoop

from £17.99; hulas.co.uk.)

Home ice baths

After a surge in popularity for cold-water

swimming — in rivers, lidos and the sea —

it’s no surprise that people want the bene-

fits of an icy plunge in the “comfort” of

their home. Cold-water baths are on

trend for this year. For optimal

results you should take a cold dip

for two minutes every day,

enthusiasts say. Proponents

believe this boosts energy and

immunity and, although scien-

tific evidence is lacking, some

studies have shown that cold-

water immersion speeds recov-

ery from muscle soreness and

promotes blood-vessel constric-

tion. Apparently this helps to flush

out waste products such as lactic ac-

id which make muscles tired. Antho-

ny Joshua and Andy Murray are among

athletes who are fans of ice baths. If

you want to embrace the trend, the

Monk bath (monk.global) is launching in

summer 2022 (available to pre-order

shortly). It’s a cool £2,999 but comes with

an in-built cooling unit controlled by an

accompanying app that, according

to the manufacturers, ensures

water is at an optimal temperature

to aid muscle healing.

Heavy resistance

bands

During the pandemic gym-

goers missing the luxury of the

weights room realised that many

resistance bands offer more than minimal

resistance, and in 2022 these previously

under-appreciated pieces of equipment

are likely to power their way into even the

most serious strength workouts. Opt for

the heaviest bands and you get 23kg-25kg

of resistance, similar to that of a heavy ket-

tlebell — but without the hassle of taking

up too much space in your living room.

Try heavy resistance bands from Gym-

shark (£20; uk.gymshark.com) or La

Pochette (£15; lapochette.co).

Animal movement

classes

We’ve become accustomed to

using the natural world as our

gym over the past two years and

that trend is likely to intensify in

2022, with renewed interest in pri-

mal and animal-based movements

that use body weight to get into shape.

The results of a PureGym survey into fit-

ness trends showed a 124 per cent increase

in searches for classes such as Zuu, Animal

Flow and Primal Movement Works —

which focus on ground-based animal

movements such as crawling and balan-

cing on your hands. You will improve core

strength, balance and co-ordination.

Pickleball

This fusion of badminton, table tennis and

tennis can be played indoors or outdoors

by two to four players, hitting a perforated

polymer ball over a net with solid

wooden paddles. This is a US

import and its popularity

soared there by 21.3 per cent

last year, according to the Sport

and Fitness Industry Association. Now it

is taking off here. According to Pickleball

England (pickleballengland.org) it is

cheap — a paddle costs £30 and drop-in

prices for games are less than £5 — and

increasingly accessible, with participating

clubs springing up around the UK. Bene-

fits include improved flexibility, balance

and aerobic fitness as you dash around the

court for up to an hour per match. It is now

on the timetable at 16 David Lloyd clubs,

with the game due to be rolled out across

the chain this year.

Reverse running

In the recent PureGym survey, there was a

50 per cent increase in online searches for

reverse running. It is said to relieve the

impact on your knees — there is less of the

pounding associated with regular running

— and to balance out muscle use if you

usually run forwards. It also improves

balance and peripheral vision, largely

because you run looking over a shoulder.

As odd as it sounds, some sports doctors

recommend it to injured athletes and it is

an essential part of training in sports such

as football, boxing and hockey, all of which

require some backwards running. There is

even a Reverse Running world champion-

ships, due to be held in Enfield in 2022. The

way to do it is as intervals — a few back-

ward strides as part of a regular run or on

a treadmill or cross trainer in the gym. This

isn’t about launching into a whole back-

ward 5km around the park. Push off the

floor from the ball of your foot and reach

back as far as possible with your leg to acti-

vate the glutes for increased momentum

— then, in a wide open space, building up

as you become more proficient.

EMS training

In 2022 an increasing number of gyms will

offer Electro-Muscular Stimulation

(EMS) Training, which sends a finely

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Pickleball, a fusion of

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Vegan cork and

recycled foam LØCI

Eleven trainers, £150

Want to build

muscle and lose

weight? Peta Bee

on the new ways

to get fit this year

Reverse running and pickleball:

the fitness trends for 2022