Intense aerobic workouts are driving fitness participation growth according to the 2015 Tracking the Fitness Movement Report. Recently released by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the annual member report makes one trend clear: fitness participation continues to rise with positive increases in total participation being seen in both aerobic and conditioning fitness activities.

Cardio Cross Training ranked first in participation growth with a 37.8 percent increase from 2013, followed by High Impact Aerobics at 14 percent, and Aquatic Aerobics at 7.5 percent. The fastest growing aerobic activities were rounded out by Cardio Kickboxing, Stair-Climbing Machines, and Treadmill participation. The complete rankings for all the fitness activities can be found in the report.

“With the ability to choose between group or individual style workouts and the high accessibility to the necessary equipment, the growth in participation rates for intense aerobic activities should come as no surprise,” said Tom Cove, SFIA’s CEO & President. “The limited time needed to take part in these workouts and tremendous health benefits they provide is truly a win-win situation for the fitness community.”

Similar to previous reports, the 2015 edition includes detailed information on fitness participation demographics which shows Walking for Fitness (38.5 percent), Running/Jogging (17.5 percent), and Treadmill (17.2 percent) participation holding steady as top fitness activities.

This year’s report also contains data on equipment sales, home vs. gym exercise, and insights into the behaviors of active and inactive Americans. New to the report are in-depth interviews with Life Fitness President Chris Clawson, The American Council on Exercise’s Chief Science Officer Dr. Cedric X. Bryant, and Octane Fitness’ Vice President of Sales Ryan Simat.

The 2015 SFIA Tracking the Fitness Movement Report, conducted by Sports Marketing Surveys USA, is America’s premier report dedicated to fitness trends and insights. The report is free to all current SFIA members and $495 for non-members and is now available for download at http://bit.ly/1V8374z.