Exercise trends come and go. From hectic spin sessions to Latin American dance classes, practically everyone’s signed up for/been forced into doing one at some point.
Maybe you love exercise trends, maybe you don’t. The key is often to just keep an open mind and seeing where the class takes you.
Who knows? Perhaps goat yoga is your new favourite activity? It might even turn out fun enough that you want to take up classes every damn morning.
Well, you never know until you try ’em.
Here we round up eight of the oddest exercise trends to emerge out of the last decade, ranging from the downright unusual to bloody hilarious.
1. Backwards running
LOOOOL. Whilst it looks absolutely hilarious, did you know that backwards running might be even better for you than forwards running? That’s right, a 2011 study suggested that it’s possible to use up 30% more energy running backwards.
2. Goat yoga
Is having a goat climb on your back as you do the downward dog odd? Absolutely. But, weird as it might be, I’ve also got to admit that it’s cute as heck. Seriously, even if you don’t end up finding yoga to be your vibe, there’s still cute goats jumping around, giving a win/win scenario.
3. Surfset barre
If you wanna become a totally radical surfer but don’t quite live close enough to the beach, or just genuinely don’t like the whole ‘shark’ thing, why not try your hand at land-surfing? Granted, this is more a combination of muscle resistance training but having a surfboard and sand present is enough for me.
4. Kangaroo jumping
Kangaroo jumps?? This is basically just a load of grown-ups wearing space shoes, disguised as a fitness class and sign me TF up.
5. Cardioke
I’m just gonna put it out there and say that ‘cardioke’ (cardio + karaoke) is legit just dancing whilst singing to music. Put Ariana on in a club and you’re practically half-way there.
6. Skateboard Pilates
Pitched as an affordable alternative to reformer Pilates, skateboard Pilates is basically just what happens when YouTube mums find their kid’s toys.
7. Plogging
https://www.instagram.com/p/Biebvmcn6kg/
Now this one’s a goodie. The name ‘plogging’ comes from the Swedish term for picking up, ‘plocka upp’ and jogging. When you put them together, it involves running and collecting rubbish on the way – random, but actually pretty bloody good for the environment.
8. Morning raves
Waking up for a pre-work rave ain’t easy to do but I’ve done it before and it’s actually not bad. In fact, it can get you suitably psyched for the day ahead.
As weird as these trends may seem, you’ll be laughing so hard that you’ll forget that you’re doing exercise.
If you’re not into these more ~experimental~ exercises, why not jump on over to QLD Health’s Happier. Healthier. website for a tonne of classic, effective exercise inspo?
