Our experts have been busy looking into the future – and they’ve picked out seven key fitness trends for 2025.
Now, note that we’re talking about trends, not fads. These are fresh innovations with staying power, not flash-in-the-pan ideas that everyone will have forgotten about by next year.
Our experts have considered – and discarded – a whole load of potential trends. The seven they’ve zeroed in on are those with the potential to change the face of fitness in the long term. From a new way to meditate to fresh approaches to post-workout recovery, here are some innovative ways to rethink your routine and maximise your health in 2025.
1. Movement meditation
We’ve said it before and we’ll keep saying it: meditation doesn’t have to mean silence and stillness. You can use the power of music and movement to escape the everyday, specifically through dance meditation.
Also known as ‘ecstatic dance’, it’s well on the way to becoming an established wellness trend: searches for ecstatic dance have rocketed by 49% in the past year, according to Google Trends. Forget Strictly-style perfection. Dance meditation is a practice that allows you to move freely and joyfully, for a unique blend of physical movement and mental release.
2. A focus on sleep
Want to future-proof your body and mind? One of the best ways to do this is to prioritise your sleep. That’s why, at David Lloyd Clubs, our personal trainers take sleep and rest into account when they’re coming up with fitness solutions for our members.
“It’s no longer just about physical conditioning; trainers now play a pivotal part in guiding clients toward sustainable, whole-body health,” explains Lucy Day, our Head of Gym and Sport.
“By integrating training techniques that support mental wellbeing, stress management and quality sleep, personal trainers can help clients enhance vitality and resilience at every stage of life.”
3. AI fitness solutions
We’re certainly not saying that technology is set to replace the human factor. Looking to the future, our experts can see exciting new ways to blend person-to-person coaching and artificial intelligence (AI) for an even more focused way to get to fit.
This is something our members are already on board with. According to our findings, 62% of David Lloyd Clubs members use wearable technology, with a further 10% looking to start tracking in the future.
So how will it work? AI will be able to monitor your workouts as you go, suggesting improvements to technique so you get the most out of every session – and avoid injury.
At David Lloyd Clubs, we’ll be introducing new software that can design an AI-driven workout based on the equipment that’s available at each Club. The result? Bespoke workouts that benefit every fitness level.
You’ll also find our Body Hub in every Club. Simply enter your data and do a full-body scan to discover your Bio Age – this is the ‘real’ biological age of your body; how old you are on the inside, rather than your chronological age. You’ll get a comprehensive health and fitness report that covers everything from metabolic rate to flexibility and cardiovascular fitness.
4. Focus on recovery
As fitness understanding progresses, it’s becoming clear that post-workout recovery is just as important as the workout itself. In 2025, we’ll see an even greater emphasis on this.
It makes sense – you can avoid injury and also enjoy your sessions more if your muscles are in top condition. Trust, exercise doesn’t actually have to hurt!
At David Lloyd Clubs, you’ll find a range of different ways to recover post-exercise, from percussion therapy and hydro massage chairs to saunas and plunge pools.
5. Post-workout tools
Sticking with recovery, you can also expect some high-tech tools to set you up for your next workout. Red light therapy, for example, promotes cellular regeneration and speeds up muscle recovery.
There have also been innovations in the world of handheld massage guns. We have leading-edge Theraguns at selected David Lloyd Clubs, so you can get working on relieving your muscles straight after your workout.
6. The social side of fitness
Nightclubs? No, thanks, say Gen Z. According to a recent survey, 54% would rather sweat it out in the gym than on the dance floor. This is part of a recent trend that plays up the social side of working out, and it’s applicable to all generations.
Gyms and other fitness spaces are no longer simply places to work out. They’re ripe with possibilities for social interaction.
Just swing by a David Lloyd Club to see this mindset in action. A visit isn’t just a workout pit-stop, rather it’s an all-encompassing lifestyle experience. We’re investing in the kinds of spaces that promote socialising, such as co-working spaces, poolside bars and luxurious spas. What’s more, activities including Padel, tennis and group training classes are gaining popularity for the strong sense of community they create.
Exercise is also a great way for families to connect. That’s why we recently launched REBELS, a family-friendly adaptation of our exclusive range of Signature group exercise classes. Parents and children aged between eight and thirteen can work out together – that’s a fitness-industry first, and you can expect to see more of the same!
7. Taking hormones into account
Google searches for hormone health have shot up by 72% since December 2023, with people increasingly recognising the importance of listening to your body and shaping fitness routines around it.
We’re all becoming more aware of the changes that may affect us as we move through life. As well as the menopause for women, conversations are starting around ‘male menopause’, with men potentially experiencing depression, loss of muscle mass, difficulty sleeping and fat redistribution in their late 40s to early 50s, according to the NHS.
This stage of life presents a real opportunity to switch up your fitness routine – for example, by introducing weight training. Start lavishing extra love on your forties and fifties (and beyond) body. It may need to be treated a bit differently than when you were in your twenties, but it can still perform brilliantly with the right training routine. You have so much potential to unlock.
