As every year, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has published its much-anticipated global study on Fitness Trends 2025. This analysis is crucial for understanding the future direction of the fitness industry and how gyms can adapt their offerings to meet the evolving needs and preferences of their users. Fitness trends not only reflect the interests of gymgoers but also highlight opportunities for growth and adaptation in a constantly changing market.
For 2025, the ACSM has identified 20 key Fitness Trends. Below, we break down each of these Fitness Trends 2025 in detail.
1. Wearable Technology
Wearable technology continues to lead the Fitness Trends 2025 rankings due to its ability to provide detailed, real-time data on physical activity, sleep, recovery, and other health indicators. Devices like smartwatches, fitness trackers, and heart rate monitors allow users to track progress, set goals, and receive activity reminders, promoting a more active and healthy lifestyle.
In your gym: Leverage this fitness trend by enabling clients to sync their devices with your centre’s apps or specific training programmes. You can create challenges to encourage users to achieve their goals, seamlessly connecting their digital experience with their gym routines.
2. Mobile Fitness Apps
Mobile fitness apps rank as one of the most significant Fitness Trends 2025, rising to seventh place from their 2024 position. Fitness apps provide flexible and personalised programming, allowing users to access workouts anytime and anywhere. When combined with wearable technology, these apps enable accessible, guided workouts, making them ideal for both beginners and advanced users.
In your gym: Offer your own app that allows users to access personalised plans, schedule classes, or even track their activity metrics, as with tools like Resawod. Additionally, provide access to video tutorials or exclusive routines to keep clients engaged and connected with your gym, even when they’re away.
3. Fitness Programmes for Older Adults
The development of fitness programmes aimed at older adults remains in third place on the Fitness Trends 2025 list. Physical activity is essential for maintaining health in individuals over 60, improving their quality of life and reducing the risk of chronic diseases. However, this demographic often participates less in recommended physical activities, creating an opportunity for gyms to grow by offering specialised programmes.
In your gym: Design classes specifically tailored to older adults, such as mobility, balance, and moderate-strength sessions. Employ trainers who are skilled in this type of training to ensure safety and adaptability, enhancing the experience and attracting this demographic to your gym.
4. Exercise for Weight Loss
While many users associate exercise primarily with weight loss, a focus solely on physical appearance is neither healthy nor sustainable. Despite its continued presence as one of the Fitness Trends 2025, gyms can leverage this initial motivation to educate users about the broader benefits of exercise, highlighting its impact on overall health and well-being.
In your gym: Develop awareness programmes that prioritise health and general wellness, integrating workshops and educational activities about the benefits of exercise for mental health, cardiovascular function, energy levels, and overall quality of life. This holistic approach helps users find a more enduring and positive motivation for their fitness routines.
5. Traditional Strength Training
Strength training has regained momentum in the Fitness Trends 2025. This type of training is crucial for developing and maintaining muscle mass, with a recommendation to practise it at least twice a week. However, a significant portion of adults still fail to meet these guidelines, giving gyms an opportunity to make a difference by promoting this practice.
In your gym: Offer strength classes focused on proper technique and progressive loading, enabling users to safely work with weights, dumbbells, and kettlebells. Additionally, provide introductory sessions for new members to build a knowledge base, foster confidence, and help reduce dropout rates.
6. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)
HIIT remains a favourite among the Fitness Trends 2025, praised for its efficiency in short timeframes and minimal equipment requirements. This type of training is perfect for individuals seeking quick results with limited time to exercise.
In your gym: Introduce HIIT classes adaptable to various intensity levels, providing an initial assessment to ensure each user can progress safely. Consider incorporating wearable technology to monitor heart rates in real-time, enhancing safety and control during sessions.
7. Data-Driven Training Technology
Data-driven training ranks among the Fitness Trends 2025 for its ability to tailor workouts to a user’s real-time condition. This technology allows trainers to adjust training variables to optimise each session effectively.
In your gym: Use devices that monitor heart rate and sleep patterns to enable trainers to customise routines based on clients’ physical states during each session. This not only adds value for clients but also reinforces your gym’s reputation as a tech-savvy and professional space.
8. Exercise for Mental Health
Concerns about mental health are increasingly prevalent in today’s society, making exercise aimed at improving mental well-being a key component of the Fitness Trends 2025. Scientific studies have shown a strong connection between physical activity and improved mental health, helping to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. This trend reflects a shift in the purpose of exercise, focusing on both physical and psychological benefits.
In your gym: Offer classes and programmes that integrate mindfulness and relaxation techniques, such as yoga or meditation, focusing on stress reduction and overall well-being. Train your staff to adopt an empathetic approach and support clients in their journey, enhancing their experience. Additionally, create educational content to inform clients about the mental health benefits of exercise.
9. Functional Training
Despite dropping in the rankings in 2024, functional training regains its position among the Fitness Trends 2025. This training modality is becoming increasingly popular for its practical focus, helping individuals develop physical skills and capabilities applicable to everyday activities. Functional training enhances quality of life and fosters independence across all life stages.
In your gym: Offer functional training programmes that include exercises for mobility, balance, and strength. These classes attract a diverse audience while helping users improve their performance in daily tasks, promoting a more active and healthy lifestyle. If you have a CrossFit® box, you’re already familiar with this concept.
10. Health and Wellness Coaching
Health and wellness coaching remains a significant Fitness Trend 2025, despite dropping slightly in the rankings. This approach focuses on applying behavioural science to create healthy lifestyle programmes and preventive medicine, helping users establish sustainable changes in their daily habits.
In your gym: Incorporate health and wellness coaching services where clients can learn about healthy habits, stress-reduction techniques, and the importance of a balanced diet. This transforms your gym into a holistic wellness centre, strengthening user loyalty by offering a more complete and integrated experience.
11. Youth Athletic Development
Similar to the focus on older adults, promoting the physical and cognitive development of young people is a key Fitness Trend 2025. This type of training aims to teach high-quality movement skills to young athletes, adopting a developmental approach that goes beyond age-based training.
In your gym: Design specific programmes for young people to safely and progressively learn the fundamentals of training. You can also introduce activities where parents and children train together, fostering a family culture of physical activity.
12. Fitness Influencers and Ambassadors
The rise of social media and influencer-generated content has introduced an entirely new Fitness Trend 2025. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok allow these fitness ambassadors to share educational content, promote brands, and encourage an active lifestyle among their followers in an accessible and engaging way.
In your gym: Partner with local influencers who can represent your gym on their social media platforms, or create your own active presence on these channels. You can also identify influential members and offer them incentives, such as discounts or memberships, to share their gym experiences and expand your brand’s reach within their digital communities.
13. Outdoor Fitness Activities
Although this fitness trend has dropped in the rankings compared to previous years, it remains popular among the Fitness Trends 2025. Outdoor activities such as walking, running, hiking, or skiing allow users to exercise in natural environments and enjoy the benefits of physical activity outside the walls of a gym. These outdoor workouts not only improve physical fitness but also offer a unique experience of connecting with nature.
In your gym: While outdoor fitness may seem like an alternative to the gym, it can actually become a valuable addition. Organise outdoor events such as group walks, park classes, or guided hiking routes. Embracing this trend expands your services and allows users to enjoy variety in their workouts while benefiting from exercising in natural settings.
14. On-Demand Fitness Classes
On-demand fitness classes, which gained significant popularity during the pandemic, reappear in the top 20 of the Fitness Trends 2025. These pre-recorded sessions, accessible anytime and anywhere, offer users great flexibility and autonomy. They allow individuals to tailor their exercise routines to fit their own schedules and lifestyles, making them an ideal solution for those seeking consistency without relying on in-person classes.
In your gym: Providing a library of on-demand classes can be an excellent complement to gym memberships. This additional service allows clients to access a wide variety of routines and training styles from the comfort of their home or while travelling, enriching their gym experience and offering greater flexibility.
15. Certified Professionals
It may seem surprising that having qualified professionals is considered a trend, but the ACSM has ranked it at number 15 on the Fitness Trends 2025 list. The importance of employing certified trainers is undeniable for ensuring clients receive high-quality service and, most importantly, safe training—particularly for those with specific health needs.
In your gym: Ensure your team holds the necessary certifications and qualifications, and highlight these credentials in your gym’s communications. Promoting the skills and accreditations of your trainers not only builds trust with clients but also reinforces your gym’s commitment to safety and professionalism.
16. Personal Training
Personal training continues to be one of the strongest Fitness Trends 2025, consistently remaining on the rankings since 2007. This training modality allows clients to receive fully personalised attention tailored to their specific goals, lifestyle, and physical conditions.
In your gym: Offer personal training packages ranging from single sessions to long-term programmes. This is an excellent way to add value and diversify income streams. Promote personal training as an exclusive and specialised service to retain users seeking a more customised approach to their fitness routines.
17. Exercise in medicine ®
The global Exercise is Medicine® (EIM) initiative continues to be a prominent Fitness Trend 2025, promoting the integration of physical activity into healthcare. EIM emphasises collaboration between medical professionals and certified trainers, encouraging healthcare providers to refer patients to specialised centres where they can improve their well-being through exercise programmes.
In your gym: Consider certifying your facility under the EIM programme and building partnerships with local doctors who can recommend supervised physical activity to their patients. This not only positions your gym as a leader in preventive health but also contributes to the overall well-being of the community.
18. Bodyweight Training
Bodyweight training returns to the top 20 in the Fitness Trends 2025. This form of exercise focuses on basic movements such as squats, push-ups, and planks, where the body itself acts as resistance to improve strength and balance. Requiring no equipment, it is accessible and versatile, making it perfect for those looking to train anywhere.
In your gym: Offer specific bodyweight training classes that are ideal for beginners or for those who prefer routines without equipment. This type of training can also complement on-demand fitness programmes, allowing users to follow routines at home or outdoors without the need for additional gear.
19. Lifestyle Medicine
Lifestyle medicine focuses on promoting healthy habit changes as part of a comprehensive approach to health improvement, making it a standout among the Fitness Trends 2025. This approach is particularly effective for preventing and managing chronic diseases by encouraging activities such as regular physical exercise, healthy eating, and stress reduction.
In your gym: Collaborate with nutrition and mental health professionals to enhance your gym’s service offerings. Provide health education workshops, nutrition seminars, and relaxation technique sessions to help users adopt a more balanced lifestyle and view physical activity as a key tool for overall well-being.
20. Cold and Heat Therapies
Cold and heat therapies make their debut in the Fitness Trends 2025 ranking as an increasingly popular method for muscle recovery. Cryotherapy, or cold therapy, has gained recognition for its benefits in reducing inflammation and promoting overall well-being, while saunas and other heat therapies aid in post-workout recovery by reducing muscle soreness and accelerating rehabilitation. This is nothing new in Europe, where saunas, spas, and cold baths have been integral to wellness routines since ancient civilisations.
In your gym: If you have the space and resources, consider installing recovery zones that include cold and heat therapy options. Alternatively, collaborate with spas or specialised centres offering these techniques to provide additional value for members who want to maximise recovery benefits in a professional and safe environment.
This ranking of the Fitness Trends 2025 provides a clear vision of how the fitness industry continues to evolve towards a more comprehensive approach, where technology, holistic wellness, and the needs of diverse population groups take centre stage. For gyms, embracing these trends is a unique opportunity to stand out and offer innovative services. Take note for your gym or fitness studio in 2025!
