6 Fitness Trends That Will Change the Way You Work Out in 2026

In PureGym’s annual fitness report, ‘Japanese walking’ saw a staggering 2,986 percent surge in interest, making it one of the fastest-growing fitness trends for 2026. Though TikTok may be responsible for the recent resurgence of this workout method, its origins date back to a study published in 2007 by researchers at Shinshu University in Japan—hence the zeitgeist-friendly name Japanese walking.

The method itself is quite simple: Rather than moving at a steady pace, Japanese walking takes a page from the interval training handbook, alternating between three minutes of fast walking (at 70 percent of your max heart rate) and three minutes of slow walking (at 40 percent of your max heart rate) for 30 minutes total. With at least four training sessions per week, researchers found that the interval walking group had increased muscle strength, better aerobic capacity and a significant drop in blood pressure, compared to the steady-pace cohort. Though the original study was done almost two decades ago, the benefits still hold up. Leave it to TikTok to find something old and make it new again.

Strava’s Year in Sport Trend Report also saw walking as the second most popular sport of 2025, just behind running when it comes to the total number of users recorded. Other walking trends on the rise in 2026 include the 6-6-6 walking challenge and walking yoga, which saw a 2,414 percent increase in search from 2024 to 2025. According to PureGym’s annual report, walking yoga is “a practice where you incorporate principles from yoga into walking,” including breath-synced movement, to help “improve cardiovascular health, muscle strength and flexibility,” all while reducing stress and anxiety.

Like it or not, the Pilates craze is here to stay. According to the 2025 Look Back Report from ClassPass (which reviews the year’s top fitness and wellness trends), Pilates was the most-booked workout globally for the third year in a row, with a 66 percent increase since 2024. “Pilates has always resonated,” Heather Andersen, co-founder of New York Pilates, says when asked about the workout modality’s rise in popularity. “What’s changed is its accessibility and visibility.”

For years, joining the Pilates movement felt largely unattainable. In big cities like New York and L.A., it was the workout du jour for an exclusive girls’ club, with members ranging from celebs and socialites to the wealthy few. It didn’t hit mainstream status until the late 2000s, when studios like [solidcore], New York Pilates and Club Pilates redefined the group reformer class format. “We modernized the experience while staying true to the method’s integrity,” Andersen says. “That shift made Pilates culturally relevant. It felt elevated yet accessible.”

And now, with more people prioritizing consistency over intensity, we're entering the era of the Pilates paradigm where, for many, the reformer is no longer just a niche tool but an essential part of their wellness blueprint. “I think it’s resonating because people are shifting their focus,” Elma Panagaki, yoga and Pilates instructor at Bay Club tells me. “It’s less about extreme workouts and more about longevity.”

Unlike other workout modalities that can leave you feeling depleted, “Pilates is not about burnout. It’s about durability,” Andersen explains. “It’s a system designed to support you for decades, which is why it fits so naturally into conversations around longevity and sustainable fitness. Pilates has been the training method for longevity long before longevity became a trend.”

Though social media may be responsible for the rise of the “Pilates princess” moniker, the staying power comes from real-life results. “Pilates builds long, lean strength while protecting the joints,” Andersen says. “People leave feeling stronger and more aligned. In a culture that is rethinking extremes and prioritizing sustainability, that approach resonates deeply.”

Sorry, Roxie—the name on everybody’s lips in 2026 is gonna be…longevity. According to a 2025 Wakefield Research survey commissioned by Orangetheory Fitness, most Americans are putting long-term wellness front and center, with 60 percent citing longevity and healthy aging as their top motivator. “There has been a clear shift in the fitness landscape toward longevity and overall well-being,” Theresa Barone, director of Pilates at Life Time says, “with greater emphasis on feeling strong, capable and mentally balanced for the long term.”

Gone are the days of the all-or-nothing fitness mentality that defined the mid 2000’s—when 6 a.m. SoulCycle classes came with laughably long waitlists, and Barry’s Bootcamp was the talk of the town. The no pain, no gain approach has been replaced by intentional, sustainable programming designed to support the body for decades to come, not just days. This cultural shift from vanity (just looking good) to sanity (looking and feeling good) prioritizes functional strength and mobility over short-term aesthetics, with modalities like yoga, Pilates, walking and strength training coming out on top.

Though older generations may be leading the longevity charge, “younger generations such as Gen Z are [also] entering fitness culture with a holistic mindset,” Barone explains. “Their approach to health extends beyond workouts to include recovery, hydration, skincare and emerging wellness technologies. This generation is less focused on extremes and more interested in optimizing overall well-being.”

To make room for the growing longevity trend, will the heated class craze finally start to cool down? Paige Lindgren, LA-based nutritionist, hormone expert and Pilates instructor, is betting on it. “I think we’re moving out of the ‘more sweat [equals] better workout’ era,” she says. “For a while, heated classes felt intense, efficient, almost like you were hacking results because you left drenched. But now people are asking: at what cost? There’s a bigger cultural shift toward nervous system regulation, hormone health and longevity. Constantly stressing your body with extreme heat doesn’t always align with that.”

Though stress itself is not inherently bad physiologically (“small doses can be beneficial!”), Lindgren points to the daily stressors our bodies are already facing, like poor nutrition, disrupted sleep and hormonal imbalances, as the tipping point for eventual burnout. “Over time, that can leave people feeling wired but exhausted, [with] elevated [levels of] cortisol and disrupted recovery. I’ve seen women push through workouts thinking discipline equals results, but then they’re inflamed and fatigued, wondering why their bodies feel stuck. If you constantly leave a workout completely depleted, that’s a signal worth listening to.”

While the early aughts were defined by a more-is-more cultural obsession with sweat—as seen by the meteoric rise of hot yoga and infrared-heated HIIT classes—the 2026 landscape feels ripe for a cool down as people trade sweltering studios for climate-controlled spaces that support sustainable, year-round performance.

On the heels of the AI revolution, 2026 might just be the year the fitness “smart coach” lives up to its name.  With advancements in image recognition, generative AI and language processing, AI-powered fitness programs are here to change the way you exercise. Ray is a new-to-market fitness app that focuses on strength training, cardio and mobility, utilizing AI to help you plan your workouts, count your reps and adjust on the fly. (Knees still sore from last week’s race? Just tell Ray, and the app will adapt your workout in real-time.) Other legacy brands, like Peloton, have also hopped on the AI bandwagon, utilizing image processing to provide real-time form feedback, much like you’d receive from an in-person trainer.

For runners, AI can also help improve performance by providing personalized training feedback. Runna, an up-and-coming running app, complements coach-crafted training plans with AI-powered performance analytics for more tailored insights. Strava is also utilizing AI to power its Instant Workouts feature, a tool that uses user activity to generate personalized workout suggestions based on training habits and goals—including AI-curated custom running routes and estimated race finish times, to help you train smarter.

Now, that’s all well and good, but with the onslaught of artificial everything, will people really want AI joining them in the gym? According to Strava’s Year in Sport Trend Report, 46 percent of respondents said they would use AI as a smart coach for sports, with Gen Z at the forefront of that cohort.

Curious what everyone will be wearing to work out in 2026? This year is all about the layered look. Brands like FORM, nuuds, Beyond Yoga and more have all come out with new lines featuring layered sports bras for a fresh twist on this activewear staple. With elevated support for all bust sizes, this trend combines off-duty style with smart functionality—and has been spotted on fashionable celebs like Hailey Bieber and Jessica Alba.

As a millennial, I can’t ignore the fact that this upcycled trend feels rooted in nostalgia (if you lived through the layered tank top and polo shirt look of the early 2000’s, you understand). However, with the style’s upgraded materials and unexpected color combos (like this bubble gum pink and baby blue Set Active version), it feels markedly new and noteworthy.