Life

The Most Popular Workout Of 2018 Is Extremely Badass

by Carolyn de Lorenzo
Francois Nel/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

With 2018 being the year of wellness, pretty broadly speaking, it's no surprise every other person in your friend group finally took control of their sleep regimen, got into ~adaptogens~, or actually (for real) started a workout routine. And new data from Classpass shows that plenty of people were trying out pretty badass workouts — ClassPass's 2018 fitness trends showed a lot of people taking up strength training.

This year's data was gathered from over 60 million class reservations booked by ClassPass members nationwide, a rep for the brand tells Bustle via email, and the findings show some pretty distinct trends. Strength/resistance training was the top activity chosen by ClassPass members across the U.S. in 2018, according to the newly released data, while treadmill classes were the fastest growing category coast-to-coast.

Why strength training, you might ask? While the data doesn't point to individual motives for taking these classes on, there are tons of benefits to strength training that those of us who've been in our yoga-barre-pilates routines since college wouldn't expect. Studies show that strength training, which can include weights or body weight exercises, are popular for good reason. They boost your heart health, strengthen bones, and improve overall muscle fitness, according to Everyday Health. And a recent study even found that strength training can help your heart health even more than running can. So, basically, strength training is a classic exercise method that works like a charm — and it was huge among ClassPass users this past year.

The data also shows that ClassPass users were 33 percent more likely to book a class under 45 minutes in 2018 than they were in 2017, because folks are *busy* (but way to go getting those workouts in, y'all). Shorter workouts were definitely a trend in 2018, and Women's Health notes that brief but effective workout trends, like HIIT classes, for instance, are expected to continue into 2019. And, if you scheduled your classes for Tuesdays, at either 10:30 am, or 5:30 pm, your class was most likely packed — these were the most popular class times during the week in 2018, according to ClassPass.

If you're interested in trying this trend out (since, apparently, everyone else was doing it this past year), it's as easy as just using your body weight, Self reports. Start out with push ups (like in gym class growing up), then gradually work up to including weights in your routine. Even though strength training with legit weights can be a little intimidating for a first timer — yes, you have to go over to that section of the gym (the one with all the dudes) — there are plenty of ways to make it less intimidating, You can wok one on one with a trainer to perfect your form, or take a class with other folks in the same boat — which, apparently, plenty of people did in 2018.

ClassPass added almost 5,000 new studios to their network this past year, their report notes, and expanded to five new countries and 10 new cities in the U.S. So, no matter where you might live, chances are you've got lots of options when it comes to finding that sweet strength training class near you.