Fitness Trends Set To Dominate 2026

Last year was all about walking workouts, reformer pilates and cycle syncing, but how will we be keeping fit in 2026? We asked personal trainers, gyms and wellness experts to look into their crystal balls and predict the biggest fitness trends for 2026. 

Fitness Trends To Have On Your Radar This Year

Community-Led Fitness

Gone are the days when fitness was solely a solitary endeavour: in 2026, it’s all about garnering connections through our workouts. A prime example of this is cult competition Hyrox, one of the world’s fastest growing global sports – participation has increased from around 175,000 athletes worldwide between 2023 and 2024 to over 650,000 from 2024 to 2025 (with organisers predicting they will soon hit the 1 million mark). As you can compete in partners or teams, the social element is just as big a draw as the competition itself. Meanwhile, the run club boom continues, with Strava stats showing new clubs nearly quadrupled in 2025 – and 58 percent of people surveyed saying they had met new friends at exercise groups.  

‘Community fitness is on the rise, and it’s only going to get bigger,’ says Gymshark personal trainer Lannay Dale-Tooze. ‘There’s plenty of research out there that shows younger generations are drinking less and exercising more, and their social lives are increasingly shifting towards events that make them feel healthier and better connected.’

Bio-Sync Training

You’ve heard of cycle syncing, the practice of aligning your workouts with your menstrual cycle. But what about bio-sync training? Highlighted as one of the top fitness trends for 2026 by David Lloyd Clubs, this involves harnessing our circadian rhythms – AKA, the internal body clock – to maximise our fitness potential, using smart tech and AI to recommend the best times of day to train and when to focus on recovery. ‘Bio-syncing won’t necessarily make workouts easier, but it will make them more effective,’ notes Jack Claxton, master trainer at David Lloyd Clubs. ‘Aligning training with natural energy levels can improve performance in sessions as well as recovery. Over time, if this is done well, it can lead to better results, improved recovery and less burnout.’

Recovery

And on that note… the mantra for 2026? Train smarter, not harder. In recent years, we’ve seen a shift away from the no pain, no gain ethos that has long permeated through the fitness industry – making way for a greater focus on recovery. David Lloyd has reported a surge in demand for restorative facilities within their clubs, and noted that members are increasingly seeking out recovery tools and massage therapies. ‘I discuss recovery regularly in my day-to-day sessions, and it’s a key part of my induction process with new members and clients,’ says Claxton. ‘One of the biggest recovery tools available is access to the spa such as plunge pools, saunas and steam rooms are heavily discussed at the moment and offer a wide range of wellbeing benefits.’ Recovery is a prime focus at luxury health club Third Space too, where members have access to hydrotherapy facilities and contrast therapy sessions (think breathwork in the sauna followed by a dip in the cold plunge).

While gyms are responding to modern needs by expanding their holistic offerings, we’re also seeing dedicated recovery clinics popping up across the UK. Leading the charge in London is Marylebone’s Rebase, a new-age centre offering everything from infrared saunas to ice baths and cryotherapy, plus access to a range of recovery specialists spanning lymphatic massage, reflexology and assisted stretching.

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Zone Zero Training

For years, the trendiest workouts were the ones which got your heart rate soaring and left you dripping with sweat – and there’s no denying these offer plenty of health benefits. But in 2026, it seems we’re being a little kinder to ourselves and focusing more on ultra-low-intensity exercise, AKA zone zero training. Identified as one of the key fitness trends for 2026 by Les Mills, this method involves activities which keep your heart rate below 50 percent of its maximum. Think slow walking, gentle stretching or easy yoga – things you could do while holding a conversation. Though these activities might seem very low-effort, they work to combat some of the effects of sedentary lifestyles by boosting circulation, improving energy and balancing blood sugar levels.

‘Any movement is better than none,’ says Les Mills head of research Bryce Hastings. ‘Whether you’re a gym regular or haven’t exercised in years, light physical activity can help improve glucose control, reduce triglycerides and shrink waist circumference. These are all key markers for lowering cardiometabolic risk.’

Infrared Workouts

Yogis have long been cranking up the heat for Bikram, but other types of hot exercise are gaining traction, and on track to become one of the big fitness trends of 2026. Particularly buzzy at the moment is the use of infrared heat panels in studios, which work by converting electricity into warmth, directly heating the body rather than the room. As well as creating a more challenging workout environment, infrared heat offers benefits ranging from reduced inflammation to increased flexibility and pain relief.

Infrared workouts have been all the rage in Los Angeles for a little while, but they’re becoming increasingly popular this side of the pond too thanks to a spate of new London classes. Studios including Psycle, KXU, Casa Core and Vita Boutique Fitness now offer a mix of hot barre, Pilates and sculpt classes, and no doubt we’ll be seeing more launches (and likely even dedicated infrared studios) in the coming months.

Strength Training For Longevity

Of course weight training is nothing new, but it’s having a real moment in the fitness world right now, with increased focus on the long-term impact. ‘There has already been a big shift towards including strength training as part of the ideal fitness mix, and I have no doubt this will continue, with even more of a focus on the bone density questions specifically, and the importance of lifting weights from your 20s onwards,’ says Abby McLachlan, pilates instructor and founder of East of Eden. We’re seeing an ever-growing collection of research demonstrating links between resistance training and longevity – one recent study published in Biology, for instance, found strength training can make your body eight years younger.