A new year also means new goals. And when you’re shaping up your goals for 2025, fitness and health may be something at the top of your list you want to hone in on. Roughly 79% of “New Year’s resolutions” are focused on improving overall health, from weight loss to mental health to diet. With this in mind, it makes sense why there are new trends, products, and upgrades in the world of wellness for people to better reach their health goals.
Let’s take a peek at what fitness trends you can expect in 2025, with many of 2024’s popular trends carrying into the new year.
Fitness Trends of 2024
Fitness and wellness was on the mind of many for 2024 as a reported 58% of Americans said they were prioritizing their wellness more than the year prior. These numbers make sense, especially when some of the exercise trends of last year proved to be beneficial and impactful. Here is a quick look back at some of the more popular fitness trends of 2024.
The Pilates Craze
Many of the fitness trends we saw in 2024 were in large part due to viral trends and influencers, such as the uptick in Pilates. In fact, Pilates ranked number one as the most popular workout of 2024. Pilates studios alone, and the industry, has also seen a steady increase in popularity, with a growth rate of 11% in 2024. What made pilates a popular fitness outlet was its many benefits like muscle toning, core stability, and pelvic floor strength. Due to the increase of interest in this form of fitness, it’s fair to say that we will continue to see Pilates grow in popularity with more pilates classes and studios popping up.
Major Focus on Strength Training
While cardio is still a common form of exercise, we also saw strength training having its moment amongst gym enthusiasts in 2024. Strength training involves putting your muscles under tension for a set amount of time, which makes your muscles work against resistance to build strength and muscle mass. In 2024, strength training ranked high as another popular fitness trend for the year. Strengthening muscles brings a variety of benefits to both men and women, which is a reason why it is highly recommended and celebrated. For one, it helps with bone health which is crucial for women, as women are more likely to develop osteoporosis than men. Whereas men can benefit from strength training due to its impact on reducing stress levels and improving mental health. With these factors in mind, strength training will be sure to stay around a while.
Gen Z’s Enthusiasm for Marathon Training
Training for marathons, and running marathons, gained traction amongst Gen Z for 2024. At Nashville’s 2024 ½ Marathon and 5k, 37% of runners were between the ages of 18 – 24, while only 29% were between 25-25, making Gen Z the largest age group. The allure of marathon running did not only gain speed in Music City, but even in The Big Apple as there has been a steady increase of Gen Z runners for its iconic New York City Marathon. While long distance running may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there is no denying the perks that come from long, disciplined runs. Long distance runners will find improvement with their cardiovascular health, bone density, and a decreased risk of certain cancers. This current rise of long distance running will most likely continue to rise into 2025.
Top Fitness Trends for 2025
With more and more Americans focusing on their overall health year after year, we can easily assume that this trend as a whole will continue into 2025. In particular, 2025 is gearing up to be a year where we see new twists on exercises, integrating the use of fitness tech, and a stronger focus on holistic health. Here are some top fitness trends we can expect to see for the new year.
Hybrid Group Training
Hybrid group training is a newer format of group fitness where the focus is on multiple muscle groups, with an emphasis on both strength and endurance. One way a hybrid group fitness training session can look like is starting off the first 30 minutes with upper body strength training and endurance. Some of the most common upper body exercises that hone in on strength and endurance are overhead burpee press with dumbbell and bent dumbbell row. The remaining 30 minutes of class can be focused on lower body hybrid exercises like a glute bridge with dumbbell and goblet squat with dumbbell.
Hybrid training works to ensure that all muscle groups are being targeted simultaneously for a more balanced workout and overall physique. The reasons why this type of training is appealing is due to its versatility, increased protection from injury, and the engagement the movements and exercises provide. Hybrid training is anything but monotonous, as there are creative ways to integrate strength and endurance in a variety of exercises. These factors make it a key player to look out for in the fitness world for 2025.
Wearable Fitness Tech
For the past few years we have seen significant growth in the world of wearable fitness tech. From the Apple Watch at FitBit that can track your steps to the Oura ring and Whoop which can track your sleep cycles. These types of devices are helpful for those who are looking to take their fitness and health to the next level. Wearable fitness tech can provide you with personal insight during a workout such as your heart rate, perceived level of exertion, and calories burned, all to help you reach your fitness goals. In 2025 we can anticipate more use of these devices, and the arrival of more personable fitness technologies such as biosensor apparel clothing.
There will most likely be a tie in with social apps and AI use for fitness purposes. Take, for example, the social running app, Strava, where you can participate in running challenges with friends, and share your personal records. AI will also come into play with fitness with the introduction of AI coaches and the ability for artificial intelligence to help curate workout schedules and routines for you.
Functional Fitness
One major element we will be sure to see within exercise is a focus on functional fitness. The main idea behind functional fitness is to implement movements and exercises that mimic the everyday movements of your life. Strength, mobility, and flexibility are so important in our day-to-day lives, and we may not even be fully aware of it! For example, shoveling snow or taking a heavy item off a shelf is done by the help of little movements of mobility and strength.
As we age, strength and mobility decrease, making what once was simple become more challenging. With this in mind, many want to take preventative measures so that they can still have the ability to go about their daily life without lacking flexibility or mobility. Functional fitness does just that through intentional exercises and movements to keep you moving outside of the gym and is one type of fitness that we will see further incorporated in 2025. Participating in functional fitness is not limited to one set age, as all ages can reap the benefits of these types of exercises.
Recovery
For all the hard work we will do in the gym this year, we must also pay attention to our recovery, which is just as important! Proper recovery following a workout helps your body to repair and nourish itself so that you can be ready again for the next gym session. Most know that it is important to stay hydrated, well rested, and include a good diet with a workout plan. However, there are new products and services that can provide optimal recovery sooner. Saunas, message therapy, and ice baths are some of the ways gym enthusiasts are finding enhanced recovery. These products all help with muscle recovery, increase proper circulation, and decrease inflammation.
In addition to adequate recovery, many are also focusing on their diet and sleep schedule; ensuring that these two parts of their lives are working together to better serve their workout routines. A proper diet can make all the difference between seeing muscle gain, while sleep is a simple way we can offer rest to our body and muscles. Overall, recovery and holistic health will be another key player in fitness trends for the new year.
Get Into the Fitness Trends with Carbon Performance
Ready to stick with your resolutions? Then get into the fitness trends at Carbon Performance in Nashville, Tennessee. We offer:
- Pilates
- Group Workouts
- Les Mills Body Pump
- Personal Training
- And more!
Check out our Franklin or Nations locations in Nashville to learn more about how you can become a member with Carbon Performance.
The beauty of exercise is that it can help to reach a long and healthy life, so that you can spend time doing more of what you love, with the people you love. And it’s one New Year’s resolution that is always on trend! Allow us to join in on your year-long commitment to fitness today.
