As we enter 2025, HCM reflects on the key trends of last year and what else might break through this year.

Reformer Pilates was one of the stand out trends of 2024. The modality skyrocketed in popularity and we saw operators starting to create their own concepts in-house, including Everyone Active in the UK and SATS, in Scandinavia, which has announced it will also be launching a reformer concept this year.

Recovery was another strong trend that looks set to build momentum this year. Many operators are looking to add recovery areas to their offering, whether this be infrared saunas and cold plunges, or just a place to chillout with foam rollers. Standalone recovery clubs are also tipped to be coming down the tracks.

GLP-1 is a juggernaut of a trend. With the UK government announcing a three-year pilot into medications and consumers already self-prescribing, the industry is having to act quickly to make sure health clubs are recognised as being part of the solution.

AI and the opportunities this offers in terms of personalisation, and to build communities, is also set to characterise the industry going forward, and many operators are figuring out the best way to optimise this technology.

Longevity is going to be massive and presents a huge opportunity for the fitness industry to reach new audiences and impact global health.

In response to the growing healthcare burden, there is the pivot to wellbeing with more collaborations being sought with the healthcare sector, such as Nuffield Health’s partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University to create evidence-based, medical interventions delivered by fitness professionals in non-medical settings.

Already huge, Hyrox looks set to keep getting bigger. There are now 5,000 affiliated Hyrox sites and rolling out Hyrox classes is a priority for operators across the industry.

Those are the obvious trends that looks set to continue, but HCM looks at some less established trends which may, or may not, catch on.

Cardio

Strength training is still dominant, driven by Gen Z coming into gyms for aesthetic reasons; the over 50s who have got the memo that it’s important to keep up muscle mass while ageing, as well as everyone else in between. But is cardio set for a comeback? Or perhaps the industry should be using its messaging to drive a comeback.

Speaking to HCM in issue 9, Future Practice co-founder, Oli Patrick, emphasised the importance of increasing VO2 max: “From the age of 40, we lose 10 per cent of VO2 max per decade.

“If you have a low VO2 max in your 30s and 40s, you’ll be the person who can’t get out of the house in your 70s. If you have a high VO2 max in your 40s, you’re the person who’s going on walking holidays during retirement.”

Patrick adds that Gen Z would also find that some cardio would improve their mental health and help their sleep.

Intuitive danceDavid Lloyd Leisure has tipped intuitive dance as a top trend for 2025 and has launched Spirit dance meditation: a group exercise class which combines intuitive dance and meditation. Participants wear headphones and use the music and movement to clear their minds and get them into the present moment.

Move Dance Feel is a creative community which uses dance to support women to heal following cancer: the classes give respite from the seriousness of the illness, create connection with the body and foster a sense of community.

Medical memberships

A growing number of mainstream UK health operators are now offering access to telehealth and other medical services as a membership bolt-on. We expect to see more, along with other offerings, such as body scanning and IV drips.

IV drips are gaining popularity among the health savvy as they bypass the digestive system to allow rapid, uninterrupted absorption of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Fitness First has already partnered with Get A Drip to offer members a choice of health-boosting IV treatments at one of its London clubs.

Laughter YogaJokes aside, there are real benefits to be gained from laughter. The world got very serious during the pandemic and we need to recover a sense of easy light-heartedness.

Lynne Brick is a proponent of laughter yoga and says that even a fake laugh secretes all those important feelgood hormones: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins and research has proved there are sustained health benefits when you laugh for 10 to 15 minutes, including deeper breathing and better oxygenisation, which improves focus and mood.

Working spaces in gyms

Designing places to work into gyms is trending at the premium end of the sector. Speaking to HCM in issue 9, Virgin Active CEO Dean Kowarski said: “We’re moving from our clubs being third spaces to being second spaces, for the time between eight and five.”

As well as working out, Kowarski envisages people could do some work and book a boardroom to have meetings.

At the new Flatiron club in New York, Chelsea Piers offers a members lounge to get work done between workouts, with co-working tables and privacy booths.

Workouts in nature There are huge benefits to working out in nature, which can be used as a complement to what goes on inside clubs.

According to Jessica Christensen, founder of Mavericks, which offers outdoor training programmes, outdoor exercise is fun, social and gives the opportunity to be creative and playful. Christensen says it’s not just “big nature” that is beneficial, but also “little nature” found in urban areas.

Research from the Mental Health Foundation says our relationship with nature – how much we notice, think about and appreciate our natural surroundings – is a critical factor in supporting good mental health and preventing distress.

Sleep programmes

Post-pandemic sleep is a pain point, with around one-third of the world’s population suffering from sleep disturbances. Being tired creates a number of issues ranging from cranky mood, low energy and craving carbs to reduced stress resilience and, more worrying, accelerated ageing. Even one bad night’s sleep can have a negative impact on longevity.

We expect to see more operators following the lead of Chiva-Som and implementing sleep-promoting programmes. Research and development director at Chiva-Som, Dr Jason Culp, told HCM he is seeing that stress often leads to people presenting as biologically older than their chronological age. “Sleep and stress have to be handled as a partnership,” he says. “Typically when one is off balance so’s the other.”

Gentle exerciseWith mental health being the number one reason for joining a gym, HCM expects to see breathwork, sound baths, meditation and mindfulness to become common place in class programmes, along with a greater emphasis on gentle exercise, a trauma-informed approach, somatic exercises and shaking.

SATS introduced a bundle of four calm and gentle classes this year, and is planning to add more in 2025. Ellen Vanberg, chief product officer says: “Our biggest hit is the Aroma Relax class which is a calm yoga class with focus on soft movements, stretches and deep relaxation, supported by essential oils from diffusers. In 2025 we will expand our wellness bundle further with a Breathing for Stress Relief class.”

Fitness First’s new premium concept, V, also features a range of holistic classes, including four types of yoga, six types of Pilates, breathwork and percussion stretch therapy.

Multi-sensory environments

Paying detailed attention to the aesthetics of the environments is still more the realm of the spa and social wellness sector, but is likely to have an increased influence for fitness operators as they seek to differentiate and target specific demographics. The ambience created in a building via the music and the way it smells has a huge impact on mood and motivation.

New Californian social wellness club, Hume, has paid forensic attention to all aspects of the design, showcasing custom artwork and design pieces from local artisans; producing a custom scent for incense, candles and room sprays; commissioning a designer to create hanging bio-textiles to accentuate the natural light and a collaboration with a speaker designer and DJ to develop custom speakers and a curated playlist to create the right vibe.

With its third site launched in November, Remedy Place said it was aiming to create an environment which soothed the senses, and has also created a signature scent which is diffused throughout the club.

Gut healthThe importance between gut health and mental health has been proven, so we expect to see gyms spreading more awareness of this among their members and creating programmes to support gut health.

In October, UK operator, Frame, collaborated with Bio-Kult to create a special event class to improve gut health with a combination of strength training, Pilates and breathwork to bring about a balanced body and mind.