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More educated and experienced fitness professionals are predicted to be the number one fitness trend in 2008, according to the results of a new survey. This development will result in exercisers having even more options when choosing a trainer to complement their fitness routines.

The survey, now in its second year, administered to health and fitness professionals worldwide, was conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM.)It is designed to reveal trends in commercial, corporate, clinical, and community fitness program environments.

The potential trends in the survey were scored by expert respondents from all over the world including Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, North American, and South America. This year's response rate nearly doubled that of last year. The trends were ranked from highest to lowest based on the scores given by the respondents.

The fitness professionals’ trend was listed at number three last year. Exercise programs for children to fight childhood and adolescent obesity ranked in the top spot in 2007, and remains high on the list for 2008, at number two.

"The survey revealed a few surprises, and also confirmed what has been on the landscape this year in the health and fitness industry," said Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, and lead author of the article. "We were interested to find that the top three predictions for next year were statistically close, but they all support the idea that the health professional is going to be held to a higher level in education and certification. Overall, we're seeing these themes develop now that will help the fitness professional design specialty programs for their clients. It also creates an expectation for the public, who can glean new ideas to improve and build upon their workouts."

1. Educated and experienced fitness professionals. More organizations are seeking accreditation for academic and certification programs for fitness professionals, including personal trainers, which will contribute to industry regulation. ACSM currently has one of the nation's largest certification programs, and is widely considered the industry's standard.

2. Programs to fight childhood obesity. The high ranking of this trend matches the country's concern about childhood obesity and health. An influx of fitness programs designed specifically for children and adolescents is expected to help combat this problem.

3. Personal training. This trend moved up four spots from last year's survey, signaling that the profession of personal training is becoming more realistic and accessible to the public.

4. Strength training. This is a trend for both men and women to incorporate strength training into their exercise routines. The health benefits of strength training will be emphasized even more than previously (average score = 8.29). Strength training moved from No. 6 on the list last year to No. 4 this year.

5. Core training. This is a trend that emphasizes strength and conditioning of the stabilizing muscles of the abdomen and back. Core training continues to use stability balls, BOSU balls, wobble boards, and foam rollers (average score = 8.28).

6. Special fitness programs for older adults. This is a trend that emphasizes and caters to the older adult. As the baby boom generation becomes grayer and because they may have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts, fitness clubs will capitalize on this growing market (average score = 8.17). Falling from No. 2 in 2007.

7. Pilates. Pilates is a form of exercise that targets the core of the body (i.e., the abdomen, back, and hips) while using the entire body.

8. Functional fitness. This is a trend toward using strength training to improve balance, coordination, strength, and endurance to improve one’s ability to do activities of daily living. Exercise programs reflect actual activities someone might do during the day (average score = 7.89).

9. Swiss ball. A Swiss ball is a round object variable diameter of between allowing for a wide range of Swiss ball also is known by ball, gym ball, Pilates ball, stability ball, therapy ball, yoga (average score = 7.78).

10. Yoga. Yoga has taken on a variety of forms within the past year (including Power Yoga, Yogalates, and others including yoga in hot environments). Instructional tapes and books are plentiful as are certifications in the many yoga forms (average score = 7.72).

The survey results were published in the ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal. The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world.

For more information on the American College of Sports Medicine, visit www.acsm.org.