Depressed at the memory of all those bronzed body beautifuls posing on the beach?. Now you too can plan your own personal training programme and flex your pecs with the best come next summer.

At the recent Fitness Festival in Rimini the leading companies (needless to say, all Italian) spoke about a definite trend towards home gyms and simulation machines. So it's goodbye crowded gyms, queuing for showers and communal changing rooms and a return to the loneliness of the long-distance runner as we jog towards our treadmills at home, .

Indeed you can fit out your home with its very own mini-gym with relatively little equipment , you will, on the other hand, need a sizeable sum of money for the workout of your dreams. Consider, for a start, Unica, the latest offering from Technogym, the market leader, which performs (with your co-operation, of course) 25 different exercises, all on your living-room carpet. Have a lift phobia or are just downright lazy? You can now exercise those leg muscles on Elliptical's revolutionary uphill treadmill? With costs varying from LIT 700,000 to 1,500,000 the stairs are somewhat cheaper.

The world of exercise and health is rapidly becoming computerised. Twists, strains and impact injuries are due to become a thing of the past in this new era of multimedia fitness, where ‘local’ is the key to go ‘global’. This is the age of the New York Marathon via Internet, thanks to Icon's series of treadmills which come equipped with their own webcam. The route is displayed in the left of the screen and each registered user has his/her own allotted space complete with training schedule and trials.

What's trim without tanned? Worry not. You too can 'extend' your summer glow throughout the winter months thanks to a new generation of solaria where ten minutes every other day will ensure you get an all-over all-winter roasting. (Be warned, the coffin-effect makes the sun-beds unsuitable for those suffering from claustrophobia.)

The show in Rimini also saw a marked increase in fitness and well-being for older people. There was great interest in treadmills to regulate according to heart rate and stationary bicycles that take both heart rate and blood pressure into account. Both machines come with LCDs displaying time, speed, distance, and calories burned.

However not everyone wants to spend their hard-earned cash on personal fitness equipment and the autumn season will soon see the gyms packed once more with people in search of the perfect body, some company and, at least in some cases, an admiring audience. Which brings us to the next subject - clothes fit to get fit in …