Biohacking your way to PBs, leveraging your hormones and prioritising recovery are a few trends experts predict to be big this year.
This is an excerpt from the Living360 Health Report 2025 which reveals key insights and forecasts trends for the year ahead under the categories of wellness, fitness and healthy eating – curated following analysis of current data with input from industry experts.
Looking back to 2024, Pilates was one of the biggest fitness trends with new studios popping up across the country to meet demand. Coming in many forms, mat and reformer variations were joined by hot, wall and tower Pilates towards the end of last year. Tower Pilates alone saw an 83% increase from July-September 2023 vs July-September 2024.
Fitness challenges combined with functional strength training were also hot in 2024, with more people than ever entering Hyrox — which has seen a 233% increase in interest year-on-year, with popularity expected to grow further this year.
And of course, wearable technology continues to hold ground as innovations continue and once bulky fitness trackers become refined into more graceful pieces that are now even jewellery.
Looking ahead to 2025, Grace Reuben, personal trainer and founder of Dare to Be Fit, says: “After a year of focusing on strength training in 2024, many people may feel ready to change things up.” She says cardio is already gaining traction on platforms such as TikTok and explains: “TikTok’s ‘RunTok’ community has already popularised running as an empowering, accessible activity. Expect more interest in marathons, trail runs and creative running challenges this year.”
This idea of community-driven fitness is just one of the trends we’ve identified for 2025. We’ll take a look at what it is, plus a few others and why experts believe they’ll be popular in the coming year.
1. Community fitness
Group running, hiking and challenges are set to explode in popularity this year. TikTok influencers are already creating something of a running boom, while local run clubs and Park Runs are seeing growing numbers of attendees year-on-year.
Anya Lahiri, master trainer at Barry’s UK, says: “Post Covid, I feel like people have more of a need for support and company. More people are working from home, so fitness classes and events are an opportunity to socialise with colleagues and friends as well as meet new people.
“As more and more fitness studios and competitions hit the scene, people have realised that fitness is another way to have healthy fun as a group and raise the endorphin levels.”
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2. Exercising around your menstrual cycle
England’s Lionesses spoke openly about syncing their training regimes with their menstrual cycles in 2024, and now women around the world are following suit. A rise in apps such as Clue and Natural Cycles, plus wearable technology such as the Oura ring (which measures basal body temperature to indicate ovulation), means women can track where they are in their cycle and become more in tune with their body and its capabilities.
Personal trainer Anya Russell, who runs a strength training programme for women in perimenopause, says: “For all women, whether they’re athletes or not, tailoring your exercise routine to match your body’s natural rhythm can give you better results and reduce your risk of injury.
“Utilising your high-energy phases will help you push your limits and achieve personal bests, and respecting your low energy phases by incorporating rest and recovery can prevent burnout.”
3. Focus on performance recovery
Focusing on how to recover well can prevent injuries, enhance your performance, support your mental health and keep you exercising consistently. Celebrity personal trainer Aimee Victoria Long says her clients have started to become conscious of how important their recovery is, as well as their training, and expects this to become widespread in the year to come.
“In the past, recovery was seen as just rest — however, now recovery is seen in many forms: massage guns, saunas, ice baths or cryotherapy,” she says. “Innovations such as advanced compression devices and smart recovery wearables are making recovery more accessible and effective.”
4. Biohacking for fitness
Biohacking is the process of using science and technology to optimise how your body performs, with wearable technology such as fitness trackers and smartwatches becoming ever-more sophisticated.
Clip-on devices like Garmin’s Running Dynamics Pod and smart clothing such as shorts with blood flow restriction (BFR) technology are becoming more popular as people look to improve muscle strength, prevent muscle fatigue and learn more about movement efficiency.
Oliver Cox, head of fitness programming at The Bannatyne Group, says: “The rise of data-driven training technology is transforming how we approach fitness. These tools provide real-time insights into performance and recovery, allowing for more effective training programmes.”
5. A cardio boom
After a year of intense strength training for many, hybrid training has introduced a means to balance strength with cardiovascular health — with cardio also offering a way to destress.
Emma McCaffrey says: “Many people are realising the importance of a balanced fitness routine. Strength training builds muscle, but cardio is crucial for heart health, endurance, and overall wellbeing.”
It’s reported one in three of us want to improve our cardiovascular health in 2025, according to a report by PureGym. Macallum Livock, manager at PureGym York, says: “It’s interesting, but unsurprising to see that 34% of people feel cardiovascular fitness is their biggest area for improvement. Many do struggle with endurance due to a combination of a more sedentary lifestyle and lack of proper training.”
He predicts that in 2025 people will start to incorporate more cardio into their daily lives such as walking or cycling to work. “From there, you’ll also have a better base level of cardiovascular fitness to take on more intense forms of exercise, such as running or swimming,” adds Livock.
