XIV Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2022

Ancient Greece is considered the origin of the popularity of physical education, because it was during that period that various sports competitions were held, including the Olympic Games.

At all times, people have created for themselves the ideal of appearance to which they aspired. Over time, this led to the creation of the fitness industry. Now fitness is not only a good physical condition, lifestyle, but also as a sport that appeared relatively recently in the framework of competitive bodybuilding.

Nowadays, as in ancient Greece, fitness has become a profession for some, and for others – a way to achieve physical perfection and spiritual harmony. True, modern athletes have modified ancient sports beyond recognition, making the sport tougher. However, even after the end of his career, almost every athlete is engaged in fitness and gets more pleasure from it than from sports.

Fitness appeared in the USA about 30 years ago. Under the President of the United States, a fitness council was formed, which included 20 of the most reputable fitness professionals. The main task of the council was to popularize fitness. «In 1983, the American Mark Mastrov created the "24 hours of fitness" system, the ideological basis of which is accessibility in every sense of the word: from the pricing policy of the halls to the mode of their operation." In 1986, the first USA Fitness Championship was held. By the end of the 80s of the last century, fitness appeared in the USSR.

The first push to popularize fitness is associated with new standards of beauty. Previously, a slim appearance, reaching anorexia, was popular. Now the most attractive is a toned elastic body with relief muscles of the press, legs, buttocks, back and arms. Such an appearance speaks of health, energy, striving for self-improvement. The second impetus to the popularity of fitness was the pandemic. The health benefits of exercise have been understood for years, but the pandemic may be the catalyst that can finally encourage the general public to begin adopting healthier lifestyles. This, in turn, creates opportunities for health and exercise professionals with the ability to facilitate that change.

Certified Professionals have long known the role that regular exercise plays in promoting good health and reducing the risk of developing a chronic health condition. One bright spot for health and exercise professionals is that physical activity is finally being recognized by the general public as a means of achieving and maintaining optimal health. Despite years of the public health community attempting to educate consumers about the health benefits of exercise, many people still think of exercise solely as a way to achieve an aesthetic outcome like losing weight or growing muscle. As the medical community begins to understand the role of exercise for reducing the risk of fatality from COVID-19 and other diseases.

The pandemic left a huge mark on the development and popularization of the fitness industry. In addition to attracting a huge number of people, it marked the beginning of many modifications of sports equipment, many applications for smartphones tracking physical activity appeared, Fitness trackers, heart rate monitors and smart watches are useful for both consumers and practitioners to monitor and store biometric data, encouraging people to work on their performance and improve it over time.

The Technogym Stand also appeared - a new functional training station - has been designed to combine maximum exercise variety with minimum footprint by enabling the user to perform the largest range of exercises for resistance, strength and core training in a limited space, thanks to its innovative design and enclosed tools.

Due to the alternation of long periods of isolation and the closure of fitness centers, the demand for online and virtual trainers has increased.Virtual fitness classes can be delivered one of two ways: asynchronously (i.e., on demand), meaning a consumer can choose a workout from a library of previously recorded programs; or synchronously (i.e., livestream), where the consumer follows along with class as it is being taught live and broadcast over the internet. Whether on-demand or live, consumers looking for workout solutions at home quickly adapted and became accustomed to the convenience of doing an instructor-led workout from the comfort of their own home.

The traditional model of a fitness business involves working with clients in a physical location, such as a health club or traveling to work with clients directly in their homes. Prior to COVID-19, that model was already starting to change and now even more health and exercise professionals are adapting to the use of social media to attract new clients. Personal trainers can design and produce workout programs for a variety of outcomes, from weight loss to muscle growth, and then market it by creating engaging content on video platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.

The role of the fitness industry will only grow in the future; it has already become a part of our lives. A world-scale event has increased the role of fitness development to the already existing promotion of a healthy lifestyle as an activity and imposed beauty standards. Fitness has become a chance to change the quality of life without radicalism and excessive efforts.

Literature:
1. https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/professional/expert-articles/7766/the-future-of-the-fitness-industry/

2. http://f-journal.ru/istoriya-fitnesa/

3. https://www.technogym.com/za/newsroom/worldwide-survey-fitness-industry-trends/

4. https://harrisonco.com/insight/u-s-fitness-industry-2020-and-beyond/