Seven fitness fads you can scrap from your routine already

As avid runners, you know we’re likely biased when it comes to evaluating other fitness routines. Or favourite mode of exercise is known. Yes, cross-training is a necessary evil and when an injury strikes, we all rely on the next best thing. Of course, no one is immune to boredom either – sometimes you hit a rut and need to shake up the routine. With all this said though, someone has to say it: some of the fitness fads of 2017 could be scrapped for good. If you’re tempted to participate in any of the below, our advice would be to just go for a breezy run in the park instead. Here’s our round-up of fitness classes that are either over-the-top ridiculous or simply passé. 

RELATED: Weird workout classes that are surprisingly real

Mermaid swim classes

If the mermaid obsession dies with the calendar year, we’d be quite satisfied. The only thing worse than idolizing this creature that doesn’t even exist is pretending to actually be one in the swimming pool. Recent months have brought an onslaught of Instagram posts and tell-all narratives of actual adults wearing mermaid tails and thrashing around underwater. Listen up, there are better ways to get in your workout Wednesday. 

Goat yoga 

Goats are cute, we don’t dare contest this point. Do you need baby goats while you stretch your sore muscles and utter your Namastes? Not really. This wouldn’t be our top fad to axe, but it’s worth noting that goats climbing on the backs of yogis is seriously a little much. 

Beer yoga 

We get it: you love beer and you can’t live without your yoga. These are both understandable but no one needs to be sipping on IPAs whilst in downward dog, just sayin’ and we stand by this statement.  

Anything labelled “wellth”

We’re calling it early: “wellth” might be a trendy buzzword that sticks around past it’s expiry date (which is now) but it’s a trend to put on the chopping block. This term is pretty much what it sounds like: a hybrid of wealth and wellness. The idea is that healthy living and wellness is a better pursuit than plain and simple wealth accumulation. That’s fair enough but there’s no denying the absurdity of this term and we’re wary of the fitness classes that will follow. 

Sunrise exercise raves

These dance parties start before the sun even shows up and then participants go about their days just as the 9:00 a.m. start time nears. This rather obscure workout class is essentially a club or rave but it’s scheduled for morning instead of night time. 

Pound 

Apologies if this is your favourite workout but we’re going to go ahead and say that this is one of the more odd ones we’ve ever heard of. Participants at this class arrive at the studio and are given a pair of weighted drumsticks to bring out their inner musician and athlete at the same time by going through exercises while using the drum sticks to bump up the level of difficulty. 

Classes that claim to include everyday movements

We’re going to pass on any studio class that boasts incorporating everyday movements (think carrying heavy groceries or lunging while cleaning floors) into a strength routine. Yes this is an actual thing but paying for a class that simulates movements you’d just do on a casual Saturday of running errands raises a red flag for us.