Functional Fitness vs. Traditional Workouts: And Other Fitness Trends to Keep You Moving in 2024

Imagine knowing the secret to staying fit without getting bored or burnt out.

That's precisely what you'll discover in our latest 2% Solution Podcast episode!

From my pandemic stairwell hikes to the revolutionary shift towards hybrid workouts, I'm sharing how the fitness landscape has forever changed.

Yes, fitness warriors, the days of monotonous routines are over. Whether you’re a gym enthusiast or a home workout guru, this episode is your golden ticket to understanding why mixing up your fitness routine is the way forward.

We'll unpack how hybrid workouts are reshaping the industry, thanks to a whopping 50% increase in virtual fitness offerings reported by the International Health Racket and Sports Club Association.

Picture tackling a high-energy spin class one day and a calming yoga flow the next, all from the comfort of your home or local gym. It's the ultimate fitness buffet, perfect for those days when getting off the couch feels like conquering Everest.

Tune in as we navigate this exciting blend of flexibility and variety, ensuring you never have to compromise on your fitness goals again.

Hold tight to those protein shakers because this episode is packed with insights and laughs—you won’t want to miss it!

Resources

• American College of Sports Medicine
• Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
• Global Wellness Institute

TEXT ME here - Have a question? Comment? Feedback? I’d love to hear from you.

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Keep being the amazing, 2%-improving rockstars that you are.

🌟 Stay fabulous, stay tuned, and stay 2%! 🚀

Love, laughs, and much gratitude,

Dai M.

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Episode Transcript

Dai Manuel (00:00):
Hey there, fitness warriors, welcome back to the 2%
Solution Podcast, back withanother electrifying episode,
and today we're going to diveheadfirst into the wild world of
2024's hottest fitness trends.
I know we're past the halfwayhump, right, we're on our
downward trajectory towards theend of this year.
But you know what?
We should probably talk aboutsome of the things that have

(00:22):
been buzzing online and offlineIRL, as my kids would say and
really talk about some of thethings that have been buzzing
online and offline irl, andreally talk about some of these
fitness trends, because I don'tthink they're just trends.
I think they're things that arehere to stay, based on the
track record we've experiencedthe last 10 years, but also with
where things are going today.
So buckle up because this rideis going to be exhilarating, as
that first sip of your morningpre-work, that is, if you work

(00:44):
out in the morning and I reckonI'm working out fasted oh, you
know what I digress?
That's for next week's episode,so be sure to tune in for that
one.
But remember when you thoughtdoing jumping jacks in our
living rooms during lockdown waslike revolutionary.
Do you remember that?
I remember I was hiking thestairwell in the condo building
we lived up on the I think itwas the 23rd floor.

(01:05):
It was a rental unit we were inwhen we first moved back from
Bali.
We came back right before thepandemic and then we relocated
to our old place that we hadsublet.
Anyways, we were with my wife,my two daughters and myself.
We're living in a one-bedroom.
It was actually technically atwo bedroom, with a very small
would be dead, but it only hadone bathroom.

(01:26):
So you can imagine this Four ofus, one bathroom.
Oh man, it was crazy, but I waswalking the staircase up and
down.
That's what I was doing to tryto stay healthy and fit and
really just to keep my mentalstate in a better place.
That's what I did during thepandemic.
What were you doing?
Did you work out in your livingroom?
Were you the ones that went onMarketplace or online trying to

(01:46):
buy whatever equipment you could?
And it was sold out everywhere?
Holy, it's hard to believe thatwas only a few years ago.
So, anyways, hold on to yourprotein shakers, because we're
about to explore what's makingwaves in the fitness ocean right
now, and whether you're anewbie still figuring out which
end of the dumbbell to hold, oryou're a seasoned gym rat
looking to spice up your routine.
This episode's your goldenticket to the fitness future.

(02:07):
Let's kick things off withhybrid workouts.
All right, picture this OnMonday, you're crushing a spin
class at the gym, sweating,pumping music.
On Tuesday, you're in your PJsfollowing a yoga flow in your
living room, trying not tofaceplant during warrior pose,
while your dog watchesjudgmentally.
And that's the beauty of hybridworkouts, folks.

(02:28):
Thanks to our not-so-littlefriend, the pandemic, we've seen
a massive shift in how weapproach fitness.
And guess what?
It's here to stay.
The folks at IHRSA, theInternational Health Racket and
Sports Club Association forthose playing at home, reported
a whopping 50% increase invirtual fitness offerings.
It's like the fitness industrysaid, why choose when you can

(02:50):
have both?
And then they ran with it.
Now this hybrid model is theultimate fitness buffet.
You get a sample of a bit ofeverything.
It's perfect for those dayswhen you're pumped to hit the
gym and leaving the couch feelslike a Herculean task.
You know what I mean.
It's like we have everyintention of getting off that
couch.
We just can't seem to do it.

(03:11):
Plus, it's a fantastic way tostay connected with your fitness
squad, whether fist bumping inperson or sending sweaty selfies
online, all about flexibility,and I'm not just talking about
your yoga practice.
It's pretty darn cool.
I'm a big fan of hybridworkouts, and what I mean by
that is one day I do one thing,next day I do another thing.
We can also call this crosstraining, but it depends on the

(03:33):
intentionality with it.
There's a couple of sports thatI'm constantly doing.
I do CrossFit one day.
That's really strength andconditioning and then I'll go
for a hike, go for a walk, gofor a good long extended bike,
and I structure my days based onhow I'm feeling, and it's been
great.
It really has made a bigdifference to my physicality,
but also my mental health.
Now, next up, we've got to talkwearable tech, especially around

(03:56):
this old biohackingconversation.
I know what you're thinking.
I am not a cyborg Now.
Maybe you weren't thinking that, but hear me out.
We're talking aboutsmartwatches, fitness trackers,
all those cool little gadgetswe're seeing pop up all over the
place.
That'll make you feel likeyou're living in the future.
The American College of SportsMedicine says these bad boys are

(04:17):
topping the charts for 2024fitness trends and, quite
frankly, for a good reason.
These aren't your grandma'spedometers, folks.
I actually feel like I'm datingmyself, because I remember once
getting a pedometer and I alsoremember the day when I used to
sell those, like 20 years ago,in the fitness store.
Yeah, we've come a long way,these high-tech wrist candies,

(04:39):
because really they're likecandy man, they're so beauty.
I love the new iWatch.
Oh, my goodness, it looks sogood, but they do everything but
make you breakfast.
Oh, technically on the iWatchis you could order food, so in a
way it could make yourbreakfast now, couldn't it?
But they track your heart rate,they monitor your sleep, they

(05:01):
measure your stress levels, butthey also probably know what you
had for lunch last Tuesday.
But it's pretty cool that itdoes, because it can start to
gauge what's working and alsostart to identify what might not
be working.
And this is where it gets wildin this whole biohacking
conversation.
Before you start imaginingyourself as a fitness-focused

(05:22):
Tony Stark, aka Ironman, let mebreak this down.
Biohacking is all about usingthe data from these devices to
fine-tune your workouts, yournutrition, your recovery, and in
real time.
It's like having a tinypersonal trainer on your wrist,
minus the constant reminders of.
That'd be pretty cool.
I'd like to make a littleavatar where I could yell at you

(05:45):
Nah, anyways, imagine knowingexactly when to push harder, to
take it easy, because that'sreally what it's all about.
All based on what your bodytells you, or at least what the
watch is telling you.
Based on that biofeedback,because it is a very
sophisticated device and it'spicking up things that's going
on internally and it's giving usreal-time data so we can make

(06:06):
better decisions.
Pretty cool.
It's like developing fitnesssuperpowers.
Who doesn't want those?
Anyways, I'm moving on.
Another big trend is functionalfitness and mobility.
What do I mean by that?
This would be it if hybridworkouts and wearable tech had a
love child.
All right, that's really wherefunctional fitness comes into

(06:28):
play.
Functional fitness is all aboutpreparing your body for real
life movements, the kind you doevery day, like picking up your
kids, reaching for the top shelfin your kitchen to grab that
weird gadget that you never use,or expecting to catch the bus
that you're late for.
According to the brainiacs ofthe Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research,functional training is like a

(06:50):
secret sauce for your muscles.
It enhances your strength,coordination, balance, agility.
It's not just about lookinggood in the mirror, although
that is a nice sort of byproduct, I guess.
It's about being able to movethrough life with ease and with
grace as much grace as one canhave while chasing a runaway
shopping cart in a parking lothey, we've all been there, right

(07:11):
?
It's nice to know that you cando that when we have to, and
that's called confidence in yourability.
It is wise, isn't it?
And let's not forget about themobility side of things.
This isn't just about thoseflexible yoga gurus on Instagram
.
Incorporating mobility work intoyour routine is like giving
your body a big juicy hug.
It helps prevent injuries, itimproves your performance.

(07:34):
It keeps you moving well as youage.
Trust me, your future self willthank you when you can still
tie your shoes at 80.
It's not just about buildingmuscle.
It's about creating a body thatcan move freely and without
pain.
We refer to this nowadays notas how long we live or longevity
, but it's really a health span,not a lifespan.

(07:55):
It's how long can we live withour health and thrive?
Because, let's face it, nobodywants to be buffed but unable to
scratch their own back.
Now, as I'm moving on to thelast trend, now let's get a
little deep for a moment.
We're going to talk aboutsomething that's super close to
my heart mental health,integration into fitness In 2024

(08:18):
, we're seeing more and morepeople realizing that six-pack
abs means squatting if yourmental health is in the gutter.
It's all about that mind-bodyconnection.
The Global Wellness Institutedid some digging and found that
70% of people believe mentalwellness is as vital as physical
health.
What I think they're right.
We're seeing a rise in fitnessprograms, like a spa day for

(08:39):
your brain and biceps.
We're talking mindful movementclasses, fitness meditation and
even workout sessions that endwith guided breath work.
It's like a party where bothyour mind and body get to dance.
Hello, this holistic approach isall about nurturing both the
mind and body because, let'sface it, you can have.
You can't really have the other.

(09:00):
Now can you?
It's like trying to drive a carwith only two wheels.
You might move, but it will bea bumpy ride, unless it's a
motorbike, and I guess then youcan ride it with two wheels.
But anyways, chris, I guessforget that metaphor.
But what does this all mean forus and for you, my fitness
warriors?
It means 2024 is your year toshine.

(09:21):
It's time to embrace innovation,personalization and balance
your fitness journey, whetherdiving into hybrid workouts,
strapping on your favoritehealth tech, focusing on
functional fitness, or givingyour mental health some TLC.
There's something here foreveryone.
Remember, fitness isn't aone-size-fits-all deal.
It's about finding what worksbest for you and sticking with
it.
Maybe you'll discover you're asecret yogi or you'll fall in

(09:44):
love with the data that'spouring out of your new
smartwatch.
The key is to stay open, staycurious and, most importantly,
keep having fun.
To learn more about these trends, check out the resources like
the American College of SportsMedicine Journal of Strength and
Consistency Research and theGlobal Wellness Institute.
They're like the Hogwarts,narnia and Middle Earth of

(10:06):
fitness world, full of magic,adventure and the occasional
confusing term that sounds likeit's in Elfish.
I will attest to that.
That was probably where mylowest grades were.
Was trying to name a lot ofthese processes in the body,
which have some very interestingand strange names.
But there you have it, my 2%Collective family.

(10:27):
We've sprinted through the topfitness trends of 2024 faster
than you can say BurpeeChallenge.
Well, maybe not that fast.
I guess I could go a little bitfaster.
I hope you're as pumped as I amto shake things up on your
routine.
But remember, fitness is ajourney, it's not a destination,
as much as a cliche that is.
It is true, it's about progress, not one of perfection.

(10:49):
Staying open to new ideas isthe secret sauce that keeps
things fresh, but also exciting.
Thanks for tuning in to the 2%Solution.
If this episode got you firedup, share it with a friend who
needs some fitness inspiration.
And hey, if you love thepodcast, don't be shy, leave us
a review.
It's like giving me a high five, but for my ears.
And until next time, staycurious and strong and push

(11:12):
those limits.
Remember you're capable of somuch more than you think.
I'm Diamond and you've beenlistening to the 2% Solution.
Now go out there and make somefitness magic happen, and let's
keep thriving together.
My 2% collective warriors, I'llsee you next time.