FIBO spotlights six major fitness trends

This week, Germany’s massive fitness extravaganza FIBO (April 19-22) is spotlighting what its organizers see as the biggest fitness trends on the scene, from the ever-popular Zumba to up-and-comers including Les Mills' newest 30-minute core muscle blaster and Germany's Vitality Nights, which fuses new gym gadgetry with live music for a heart-pumping workout.

Again this year, Zumba is the frontrunner in fitness trends and aims to present a series of new dance steps by Zumba stars Gina Grant, Tanya Beardsley, and Marta Formoso on the FIBO stage. Watch a recent Zumba flashmob in LA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdckA5-c9lM&list=UUM49GyZHNJOtv4ZSswMzy8A&index=2.

Also, a new trend reportedly gaining traction in Hollywood circles is Piloxing, a combination of Pilates, boxing, and dance originallly developed by Swedish dancer and fitness trainer Viveca Jensen, who will be on hand at FIBO. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aa0iEBY0f4&list=UU-M0uu4bWxB-6k-nbAj0zWA&index=1

Les Mills will also be presenting its famed workout medley, including BodyPump and BodyAttack classes as well as the new Sh’bam workout, a Latin dance-inspired routine set to a soundtrack of chart-topping hits remixed with Latin beats. Also, Les Mills will unroll CXWORX, an intense 30-minute core-training program that works both upper and lower body with toning and strengthening exercises using elastic bands. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayuAOJjTpY4.

Debuting in Germany at FIBO this year is Barre Concept, a workout that uses a ballet barre and infuses elements from ballet, Pilates, yoga, and weight training to tone and train – all with the mission of achieving the long, lean body of a dancer, without actually dancing. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z734SpO2Vvs.

Another newcomer to the Zumba stage is a technique called Ludwig Artzt’s Vitality Nights, a functional training workout that aims to improve coordination, balance, endurance, agility, and even the mind, all set to the music of a live band. The warm-up relies on a BOSU balance trainer, in addition to Gymsticks, a unique fitness tool using resistive exercise bands to combine muscle endurance and flexibility training. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IvkSS-6aWE.

Also on board is the Reebok Easy Tone Step, a new form of step aerobics with a device featuring integrated air cushions underneath the stepboard to create natural instability – that means, the muscles work hard. As a result, the workout combines classic step aerobic steps with balance training. At FIBO, presenters Jose Martinez, Esther Frangenberg, and Jutta Schuhn with flaunt their step mastery. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f4C2VNOXI0.

As Europe's key health, fitness, and wellness trade event, FIBO will welcome some 50,000 people from 100 countries. Now in its 27th year, this expo brings together the latest in training equipment, intelligent health promotion concepts, nutrition, fashion, cutting-edge sessions, and events focused around a variety of fitness and health trends.

http://www.fibo.de