The major exercise science organization American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has listed weight training as the top fitness regimen for 2015.
This is according to the 2015 Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends, the latest installment of the ACSM's annual exercise report.
For the study, members of the ACSM asked more than 3,400 fitness professional across the world regarding the emerging trends in health management. Based on the survey, weight training is the top fitness routine followed by high-intensity interval training and the use of personal fitness professionals.
On the other hand, exercise fads such as Zumba and Pilates, which peaked in the previous years, did not make it to the survey's top 20 fitness routines.
Walter Thompson, a nutrition professor and kinesiology at the Georgia State University and author of the study, noted that the result of the survey aims to educate the public about the importance for following correct exercise routines.
In addition, he hopes the business industry will focus on marketing proper exercise products and not just those based on the latest fads.
"The results of this annual survey may help the health and fitness industry make some very important investment decisions for future growth and development," he wrote in the study.
"Important business decisions should be based on emerging trends embraced by health fitness professionals and not the latest exercise innovation marketed during late-night television or the next hottest celebrity endorsing a product," he added.
As for the reason behind the popularity of weight training, some fitness professionals believe it was driven by the current economic conditions.
They said more and more people are turning to it as their main exercise regimen since lifting weights is considerably cheaper than other routines such as indoor cycling.
"Indoor cycling is very expensive to maintain," Thompson told NPR. "If one of those bikes break, if you can't fix it yourself, you're looking at $100 to $200 to repair something as simple as a pedal."
