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If you’re a fan of mixing things up and keeping your workouts varied, you’ll be pleased to hear this year’s fitness trends are looking pretty darn exciting.

We asked leading personal trainer Matt Roberts, who has worked with The Saturdays, and Be The Fittest’s founder Tyronne Brennand to pick their favourites. Ready, set, go.

1/ Small group training

Embrace sweatworking and socialising at the gym. “Small group training sessions fill the void between mass market membership clubs and higher priced personal training,” reveals Matt. “The social interaction and motivational setting are really inspiring. This area will grow and grow, which means that quality of delivery will be mixed, so choose your groups wisely.”

2/ Sports conditioning

Sports fans, it’s time to tailor workouts. “We have all become more serious about sports and recognised that we might actually improve our performance if we trained specifically for the event,” says Matt. “Blame/thank the rise of triathlon and cycling (and their physical and technical demands) alongside the recognition that even golfers, rugby and snooker players are now knuckling down to some serious training. It's a great development and one you have to jump on if you play any sports.”

3/ Training with a purpose

Thinking of setting yourself a challenge? Go for it. “Working out isn't just for the sake of it these days, and it's not just for aesthetics,” explains Matt. “Things like treks, mountain climbs, triathlons and duathlons are becoming the norm amongst the exercising set. Find a new goal and make it big.” You heard the man.

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4/ Calisthenics

Forget the gym and workout gear. Meet calisthenics, which just uses you. “Using different varieties of body weight exercises, from close grip press ups to gymnastics exercises, it lets you train anywhere,” says Tyrone. “It works beautifully as it’s based on your own body weight movements against gravity.”

5/ Less sugar, more fats

All hail the healthy fats. “Good nutritionists have been saying it forever but the trend away from sugars will continue,” says Matt. “With this, the fear of fats will diminish and the awareness of good ones will increase. It's a welcome change away from years of poorly-marketed "diet" products and enhances the shift back towards "real food" again.”

6/ More of less

HIT crew, rejoice. “Short, high intensity training has become increasingly popular over the last couple of years and it will remain so in 2015,” predicts Matt. “However, we will all be doing the sessions more often than before. So it's more intensity, less time, more often.”

7/ Real food

Two words we love to hear. “Legislation changes, better awareness of real food, plus a desire to not pay through the nose for inert pills will make supplements even less appealing than before,” says Matt. “Performance supplements will continue to grow, it's just the day-to-day ones that feel as though they have nowhere to go. Real food, good performance supplementation and less pill popping in 2015.”

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8/ Next gen devices

Why do something yourself when a genius techy gizmo can do it for you? “Expect devices that monitor your breathing, movement, lactic acid levels, alcohol consumption, blood pressure, stress levels, golf swing and sports performance compared to athletes, all linked to sophisticated live software that guides you through your day, exercise, eating, shopping and rest options,” shares Matt. “These will be your ultimate coach and butler rolled into one!” His brand to watch? MyCloudTag.

9/ Olympic lifting

Time to get your strong on. “As Crossfit evolves, people have taken to Olympic lifting,” explains Tyrone. “Working primarily on two movements – the snatch, and the clean and jerk – its benefits range from burning calories and speeding up your metabolism to improving balance, co ordination and flexibility.” Where do we sign up?

10/ Performance gaming

Move over Call of Duty. The sports community is here. “Anyone with a Babolat Play tennis racquet, Golf Swing monitoring glove, Oakley Airwaves ski goggles or any number of bike attachments or running apps will know that sports performance data is already here,” says Matt. “Measuring and comparing your racquet speed, top-spin, power output, cadence with yourself or the "community" is the new grown-up gaming. You aren't just playing the game – you’re the main character. Expect more virtual connections and the community to include head-to-heads based on data analysis.”

11/ Online personal training

Lacking the time and energy to get to the gym? Time to log on. “Online live and non-live training will be big in 2015,” foresees Matt. “It lets you tune into sessions with the best in the business that would otherwise be out of geographical or financial remits. Q&As, live feedback, access to the gurus and their celebrity guests are about to make your workouts a whole lot more interesting and effective.”

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12/ Skipping

OK, we’re getting some serious school playground nostalgia. “Skipping gives you a full body workout and works on your cardiovascular health, yet it’s also great for muscle toning, co-ordination and balance,” reveals Tyrone.

13/ More focus on the niche

It’s what we’re all after at the gym: a personal feel that’s not daunting or overwhelming. “We want a social experience, service and variety, not to swipe in and be bored or met with cliques,” says Matt. “People are realising certain models are flawed and others work better – more quality niche operators are popping up, and expect the better ones to find larger spaces and upscale their operations to meet the growing demand for personal attention and care.”

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