6 Fitness Trends I’m Predicting Will Be Huge in 2025

As an avid runner with the travel bug, I’ve been combining bucket list races with family vacations for years—a few favorites include Marathon Bahamas, the runDisney races in Walt Disney World and the Teton Mountain Runs in Jackson Hole, WY. So, imagine my delight when I heard that searches for “international marathons” have seen a 2800 percent increase on Google since this time last year, according to the travel experts at Wild Frontiers. As running itself continues to take off, people are on the hunt for more ways to experience their passion off the beaten path—with the Abbott World Marathon Majors falling front and center. New York and Berlin experienced a record-high number of finishers in 2024, with London clocking in an equally record-high number of applicants (over 840,000). Even the more niche sport of ultrarunning has seen an uptick in interest, thanks in part to 2024’s The Great World Race which followed popular athletes like Peloton’s Becs Gentry and iFit’s Ashley Paulson (among other incredible runners) as they completed seven (!) marathons in seven (!) countries over just seven (!) days.

As the sport of running continues to rise in popularity, I’m anticipating more and more people will begin packing their passports with their Pumas, whether it be for a challenging marathon or a family-friendly 5K. Wild Frontiers Managing Director Claire Tobin says, “When you’re visiting these beautiful countries, why not make the most of your time in the region exploring the local area and experiencing the destination in all its beauty?” (And I couldn’t agree more.)

Looking for a race that deserves a spot on your bucket list? Here are five scenic marathons you didn’t know existed—but will want to book immediately:

• The Lewa Safari Marathon (Kenya, Africa)
• The Volcano Marathon (Easter Island, Chile)
• The Kauai Marathon (Kauai, Hawaii)
• The Dingle Marathon (County Kerry, Ireland)
• The Jungfrau Marathon (Bernese Alps, Switzerland)

In addition to destination races, worldwide fitness competitions and other experiential events appear to be on the rise as well. Hyrox, an indoor fitness race that blends endurance running with functional strength training challenges, like sled pulls and burpee broad jumps, continues to boom in popularity, with a 233 percent increase in interest year-over-year, according to Google data collected by PureGym’s annual Fitness Report. With competitions organized around the world—from Valencia to Vegas—people are clearly searching for unique ways to challenge their bodies and connect with their community. Even I felt the pull of the Hyrox mania after participating in a Hyrox-inspired F45 workout class that gave me a peek behind the sweaty curtain (word to the wise, it’s not for the faint of heart).

According to Strava’s 2024 Year In Sport Report, “People are increasingly turning to sports to find community of every kind,” with running coming out on top as its fastest-growing sport of all. (Could it be the new pickleball?) The social fitness tracking app analyzed user data to confirm a significant uptick in workout-related club participation, with a 59 percent increase in running clubs, a 52 percent increase in walking clubs and an 18 percent increase in runs uploaded with a group of ten or more people. It’s also no secret that over the last year running clubs have become the new dating apps, and, as it turns out, the Strava data agrees: 59 percent of users say they’d prefer to meet new people through a fitness class while only 14 percent would still opt for a bar. The popular dating app Lunge is also best known for creating one of the fastest-growing run clubs for singles in NYC, allowing like-minded strangers to meet, sweat and (hopefully) fall in love.

Beyond pacing your future partner or racing new friends, being social while you sweat also apparently comes with major performance benefits. According to Strava’s report, “grouped activities were longer and earned more kudos than solo outings.” As we enter a new year (and cuffing season), prepare for more sport-centered hangs and run club meet-cutes.

One pandemic-era fitness trend that’s shown major staying power is remote personal training. With a 414 percent surge in search leading up to 2025, virtual training has emerged as one of the fastest-growing fitness trends, taking the top spot on PureGym’s annual fitness report. “What started as a product of the pandemic has evolved into a worldwide movement,” it says, “as certified personal trainers embrace online platforms to diversify their offerings and coach clients remotely, as well as in gyms.”

A benefit to both trainer and trainee, remote personal training offers convenience and accessibility, allowing people to fit in a workout when it suits them best (without having to travel to and from the gym). “With so many people now comfortable using apps, and with the legacy of ‘remote work’ that’s carried on since the pandemic, it’s no surprise virtual fitness solutions have become much more popular in recent years,” says Claire Phippen, Certified Personal Trainer at PureGym Norwich. “Research has shown that remote personal training is an effective way to get results, so it can be a great way for people to have more structure in their fitness, in a more convenient way.”

Ready to go back to your primal roots? Allow me to introduce you to quadrobics, another emerging search term that wins the award for wackiest workout trend on my list. “Following in the footsteps of the Tarzan movement and primal movement trends that were previously featured in 2024’s top ten, ‘quadrobics’ … ranks within the top five [growing search terms] for 2025,” with a 174 percent increase year-over-year, according to PureGym’s annual fitness report. With ‘primal fitness’ also ranking amongst the top 20, fitness enthusiasts are clearly on the hunt for workout styles emphasizing simpler, back-to-basics moves.

Quadrobics consists of exercises done on all fours to mimic animal-like movements, including running, jumping, trotting and crawling. Combining aerobics with calisthenics (aka strength training via bodyweight moves), this full-body workout has been shown to help improve balance, strength, coordination and mobility. If you’re interested in testing the trend but don’t feel like frolicking around a field like a fox, try mixing in well-known moves you’ve probably already done before, like inchworms, bird dogs and bear crawls.