National Survey of Fitness Trends in Spain for 2022

Abstract

This is the sixth edition of the National Surveys of Fitness Trends in Spain, which annually reproduces the methodology of the worldwide surveys endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The objective of this study is to identify the main trends in the Spanish fitness sector by presenting the results of the Spanish survey for 2022, as well as comparing the results with those obtained in the national and international surveys for 2021. In addition, the possible impact of COVID-19 on the incorporation of technology in the fitness sector in Spain was also analyzed. The survey was electronically sent to 6551 professionals related to the fitness sector, collecting a total of 520 responses (response rate 7.9%), of which 27.3% were women and 72.7% were men. The five most relevant trends for 2022 were, in that order: “employing certificate fitness professional”, “functional fitness training”, “personal training in small groups”, “personal training” and “exercise and weight loss programs”. The trends in the top-20 in Spain for 2022 were very congruent with those of 2021, both in the number of coincidences (18 common trends) and in the positions occupied (9 common trends within the top-10). As in previous years, there was a greater discrepancy between the Spanish survey for 2022 and the worldwide survey for 2021, with only 13 common trends within the top-20 and only two coinciding trends in the top-10. These findings confirm again, in accordance with previous editions, the stability of trends in the Spanish fitness sector and the progressive divergence with worldwide trends.