Body weight training looks set to be the hottest exercise trend for the health and fitness sector in 2015, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends.

Now in its ninth year, the annual survey – which was completed by more than 3,400 health and fitness professionals worldwide – seeks to forecast key patterns in various fitness environments. Thirty-nine potential trends were given as choices in the survey, with the 20 most popular then ranked and published by ACSM.

Hailed for its minimal use of equipment – making it widely affordable – body weight training came out on top for the first time, usurping 2014’s top trend: HIIT. Arguably one of the oldest forms of workout, body weight training – which includes push-ups, planks, lunges and squats – has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, with brands such as TRX developing a plethora of exercises and workouts based around simple pieces of equipment.

“It’s no surprise to see that body weight training has continued to grow in popularity and remain such a strong contender on the fitness trends list, as the industry and the consumer have recognised the efficiency, portability and versatility of this form of training,” said TRX master trainer and UK education manager Matt Gleed.

“Functional training is established within the fitness industry with health clubs, standalone studios and PTs all now seeing the advantages of including functional training areas to provide more opportunities for staff to engage with customers than a traditional gym environment.”

Elsewhere on the list, last year’s number one trend HIIT dropped down to number two, while the growth of highly-educated exercise professionals placed in third spot for the second year running. Building on this theme, demand for personal trainers came in fifth spot, maintaining the topic’s presence in every ACSM Fitness Trends list to date.

To view the full report, published in ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal click here.