Top 10 Fitness and Workout Trends of 2024

The new year is a great time to renew your commitment to personal fitness by trying something different. From wearable tech and virtual reality to the Lagree Method and cold plunges, these 10 trends put a fresh spin on staying active in 2024.

Switching up your exercise routine can make things more interesting and help you stay fit, says Steve Botsford, a personal trainer at SoCal Fit in Irvine, California. “Mixing it up and challenging yourself in different environments is always a good thing,” he notes. “People have to find what they can commit to, what motivates them, and what their goals match up with.”

If you love to compete, why not try a Ninja Warrior workout? Sick of sweating in a studio? Take your exercise outdoors with a beachfront yoga class or pickleball. Want to get better results from your workouts? Start spending some time focused on recovery. 

Many fitness centers will let you try a class for a discount or even free. Whatever active trend you explore, ask about special offers for first-time attendees. Or try ClassPass, which lets you book workouts at a wide variety of gyms and studios. 

Want to tap into the trends shaping the future of fitness? Here are some of 2024’s hottest workouts and fitness classes, according to trainers and exercise experts, plus analysis of Yelp reviews and ratings of fitness studios. Read on for the 5-star workouts that Yelpers are loving for the new year.

You don’t have to be a gamer to appreciate an immersive fitness experience. Companies like Black Box VR in San Francisco let you sweat your way through a virtual-reality world, with your body as the controller. 

The technology helps keep you motivated by turning fitness into a game, says Christian Downs, technical supervisor at Black Box. “It makes each workout not just a physical task, but an engaging mental adventure.” You’re incentivized to beat a virtual opponent’s score or your own last score, he adds. 

It also makes it simple to follow your workout plan, which at Black Box is a combination of resistance training and HIIT (high-intensity interval training). “The game automatically tracks and adjusts the cable weights based on your historical performance,” notes Yelper Vincent P. “You don’t have to adjust the weights, you don’t have to count the reps. It’s all done for you.”

Centers that are more focused on gaming than fitness, like Los Virtuality in Los Angeles, can still provide a great workout, because you move your body while playing. “Our favorite game so far is the Assassins,” says Yelper Konstantin P. “It was half shooting and half workout time.”

You can also try VR fitness at home: Virtual reality technologies like HOLOFIT and VZfit bring a VR workout experience to home gym equipment, like your rower or elliptical.

If you’ve watched TV’s “American Ninja Warrior” and thought, “That looks like fun,” this is the workout for you. These challenging, high-intensity obstacle courses, which may include swinging from ropes, balancing on moving beams, or scaling 14-foot walls, are also great workouts. And since the competition show premiered in 2009, places all over the US, from Sky Zone trampoline parks to climbing gyms, have started offering “Ninja”-style training programs.

“I think people love it because it’s you against the course,” says Ali Hay, Chief Ninja Officer at American Ninja Warrior Adventure Park in Santa Ana, California. “When you finish a session, it’s more than just, ‘Hey, I lifted some weights.’ It’s a feeling of being able to overcome everything.” Yelper Roderick C. adds, “Some [obstacles] require agility and balance, others require upper body strength, and others require both.”

Keep in mind that stations can range in skill requirements and intensity—some activities are not for beginners and may require a minimum level of fitness to participate.

Workouts that include stretching and slow, controlled movements can improve core strength and posture. That’s one reason Pilates, developed almost a century ago, is still going strong. 

But now many exercisers looking for similar results are turning to the Lagree Method. Its creator, Sebastien Lagree, drew inspiration from traditional Pilates reformers to create the Megaformer, which fans say works slow-twitch muscle fibers that are hard to access in other exercises.

The method, which includes full-body strength training and cardio, “is blowing up because it’s such an accessible workout,” says Stephanie Thorman, a Lagree instructor at Core Precision Megaformer Pilates in Yorba Linda, California. It’s open to all ages, shapes, and sizes, and can even help with exercise recovery, she adds.

Yelper David E., who works out at Burn Total Body Conditioning in Scottsdale, Arizona, agrees. “The workouts have rehabbed old sports injuries that I thought would never go away,” he says.

Today’s fitness wearables go way beyond old-school step counters. You can now track your heart rate, calorie burn, body temperature, oxygen saturation, and more using apps, monitors, smart watches, and even sensor-equipped clothing. 

Health clubs are incorporating these devices into their fitness classes. For example, the Orangetheory Fitness chain uses monitors to focus members on 5 different heart-rate zones during interval-training workouts. “Not everyone has the same fitness level or goals,” says Kailey Deutsch, studio director at Orangetheory Las Vegas East. “You can tailor your workout to your individual fitness level, ensuring that you’re working at the right intensity for your body.” 

“I love that I’m able to track my heart rate in real time and appreciate the breakdown of my workout immediately after it ends,” adds Yelper Natalie C., who exercises at Deutsch’s Orangetheory location.

Trainers may also track improvements in other performance metrics, such as VO2 max, a measure of the body’s ability to consume oxygen during exercise. That helped Yelp Elite Henry D., who works out at Mode Gym in Chicago, make helpful changes to his routine. Before, “I had been working hard instead of smart,” he says.

Pickleball’s skyrocketing popularity isn’t fading anytime soon. It’s the fastest-growing sport for the third year in a row, according to a 2023 report by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, which tracks participation trends. 

Pickleball combines elements of tennis, ping pong, and badminton on a playing surface that’s less than a quarter of the size of a tennis court. You can play at many local community centers and parks, as well as a growing number of private indoor and outdoor courts, such as those at Pickle N Par in Melville, New York.

When you play regularly, you’ll get cardio benefits without even noticing, says Shannon Diffenderffer, a certified pickleball coach and owner of Joy Crazy in Portland, Oregon. “It’s a great workout without feeling like you’re exercising.” 

Pickleball participation is open to just about everybody. “You will see all ages, sizes, and all different skill levels of players,” says Yelper Dee L., who plays at Pickleball Kingdom in Chandler, Arizona. “It’s a fun and addicting, easy workout for anyone!”

At-home workouts became a necessity during the pandemic, and many people enjoyed the convenience. Now, many large chain gyms and small fitness studios are offering the best of both worlds: hybrid in-person and remote memberships that let you take classes and get workout coaching at the gym, at home, or while traveling.

“The offering is beneficial so clients can be met where they are, when they want to be,” says Carmen Sturniolo, owner of Ambitious Athletics in Washington, D.C. “With our in-gym [membership], you get the same program you’d get on the road or at home.” Yelper Nikki C. says she enjoys the flexibility. “Whether I’m doing a workout online or in person, I feel I am getting the full training experience,” she explains.

Many big-box gyms are also complementing their in-person workouts with live online classes—and with the help of a heart-rate monitor and an app, “you can track your performance on your own workouts at home, too,” says Yelp Elite Katherine R., who works out with Orangetheory Fitness in San Antonio, Texas.

Weightlifting isn’t just for bodybuilders. More and more exercisers are getting back to basics with weights—in fact, the American College of Sports Medicine ranked strength training with free weights as the second most popular fitness trend of 2023.

While lifting dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells with proper form requires instruction, the extra effort can pay off. “Free weights are always going to be better for most people, because they activate more muscles per repetition than machines do,” says personal trainer Dylan Davies, co-founder of LIFT Society in Los Angeles.

“Free weights and a few select plate-loaded items and cable-based items [are] the bread and butter of any good fitness training plan,” says Yelp Elite Joshua H., who finds all that and more at West Texas Strength Nutrition & Training Center in San Angelo, Texas.

And it’s not just men who are pumping iron in greater numbers, according to Davies. Despite the outdated worry that weightlifting gives women a “bulky” appearance, “Once [they] realized they can enhance their natural curves by lifting weights, we started seeing a lot more women at our gyms,” she notes.

“Functional fitness” describes full-body workouts that mimic your everyday movements—and make them easier to do in everyday life. For an increasing number of exercisers looking to train their bodies for real-world activities, that’s a huge benefit.

Callum Morley, owner of F45 Training (the F stands for functional) in Orlando, Florida, says his clients feel stronger, “like they can tackle the world rather than just having big biceps… by working compound muscle groups at the same time to create real-life strength and fitness, versus just-for-the gym fitness.”

Think squatting, pulling, pushing, jumping, running, and much more. “With hundreds of different functional movements, the workout does not get boring and even cardio does not get monotonous,” says Yelper Ilyas K. about Morley’s F45.

Plus, focusing on function decreases your chance of injury. “I used to have knee and back pain with squats, and not only are those gone…I can move better with my kids outside of the gym,” says Yelper Scott S., a client at OPEX KURA in San Mateo, California.

Whether it’s circuit training in the park, yoga on the beach, or hiking clubs, getting fit in the great outdoors is as effective as sweating inside—and much more scenic. 

“Exercising outside is not only a great way to change your body, it reduces daily stress and changes your state of mind,” says Jay Kerwin, owner of BootCamp LA, an outdoor group fitness program in Los Angeles that also does personal training.

BootCamp LA Yelpers agree: “I can’t believe I was working out indoors for so long when there is this beautiful park to work out in. It’s really just a fun outdoor weightlifting [and] jogging program,” says Yelper Luis C.

Who needs a yoga studio to find your zen when you can bask in salt air and sunshine? “Hearing the calming beach waves” was Yelper Kara G.’s favorite thing about beach yoga with Serenity Tree Yoga in Folly Beach, South Carolina.

Another bonus: Outdoor bootcamps and hiking clubs provide a lot of camaraderie and fun within the groups, Jay says. 

“The scenery on the bay makes showing up a joy, and the folks you work out with make for a team-focused approach to getting your heart rate up and building muscle,” says Yelper Matthew K. of his workouts at Bay View Boot Camp in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The way you warm up for exercise is vitally important, but so is your post-workout recovery. Cold plunge, infrared sauna, cryotherapy, and air compression therapy are just a few of the popular wellness methods now available at gyms, fitness studios, and even centers dedicated to recovery therapies. The benefits: reduce pain and inflammation, boost your immune system, improve mobility, reduce stress, sleep better, and much more.

In fact, cold plunge therapy was one of Yelp’s Beauty & Fitness Trends for 2024. “It’s the new, big thing, even though it’s been around sports science for decades,” says Carmen Sturniolo, owner of Ambitious Athletics in Washington, D.C., which has a recovery room that offers cold plunge and infrared sauna. “[Everyone] needs to take one day a week off and do this. It’s so beneficial.”

Yelper Mama_China C. says she’s thankful for the cryotherapy and compression boots at Elite Wellness Performance and Recovery in Ashburn, Virginia. “After a 15-mile run [and] Crossfit 5 days a week, my body was completely stiff, and I was having a hard time sleeping. Stopped in for a session and was amazed at how relaxed my legs and back felt.”

“Cold plunge and hot sauna therapy have changed my life in the best way!” says Yelp Elite Lane M., a client at Optimyze in Phoenix, Arizona, where staff will guide you through the plunge with sound healing and verbal affirmations.

“Cryotherapy…is not just something from a sci-fi movie,” says Yelp Elite Wilkie J., who experienced it at Next Health in New York City. She credits cryotherapy with “accelerated recovery, inflammation reduction, and a boost of energy that’ll make you feel like you’ve had five cups of coffee (minus the jitters).”

Top Fitness and Workout Trends of 2024 was written and reported by Emily Novak.