Wearables top the global trend list, but in the UK the biggest shifts for personal trainers are strength training, older clients, mental health and weight-loss drugs. Here are the trends that matter in 2026, each backed by fresh UK data.

Every year brings a new crop of fitness trend lists. Most are built on opinion. This guide takes the most widely cited global ranking, from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and checks each major trend against UK evidence from Sport England, ukactive, NICE and the industry’s own reports.

The result is a clearer picture of where demand for personal trainers is heading, and which skills are likely to pay off.

The global list

The ACSM’s annual survey draws on what it describes as “thousands of researchers and practitioners”. Its top ten fitness trends for 2026 are:

• Wearable technology
• Fitness programmes for older adults
• Exercise for weight management
• Mobile exercise apps
• Balance, flow and core strength
• Exercise for mental health
• Traditional strength training
• Data-driven technology
• Adult recreation and sports clubs
• Functional fitness training

The survey is US-led, so it is best read as global context. The question for UK trainers is which of these trends are showing up here, and how strongly.

Trend 1: Strength training goes mainstream

Lifting weights is no longer a niche. In January 2026 ukactive and Les Mills published Shaping a New Era of Strength Training, based on polling of more than 4,000 UK adults. It found that 75% of Gen Z (aged 16 to 28) and 74% of Millennials (29 to 44) strength train twice a week or more.

Older generations lag well behind. Only 55% of Gen X (45 to 60) and 34% of Baby Boomers (61 to 79) meet or exceed the Chief Medical Officers’ strength guidelines. Across the population, 32% of adults do no muscle-strengthening activity at all. 73% are unaware of the guidelines, and 43% fail to meet them.

Sport England’s official figures tell a similar story. Its Active Lives survey for November 2024 to November 2025 found that 21.5 million adults in England (45%) did muscle-strengthening activity at least twice a week. Men (49%) were more likely than women (41%) to do so.

What it means for trainers: Strength coaching is in demand from younger clients who already lift and want to do it better. The bigger untapped opportunity may be the older and less active adults who do no strength work at all, and often do not know they should.

Trend 2: Training older adults

Fitness programmes for older adults are second on the ACSM list, and the UK data strongly supports the trend.

According to Sport England, activity among people aged 55 to 74 has risen by 7.3 percentage points since 2015-16, equivalent to 2.1 million more active adults. Among those aged 75 and over, it has risen by 10.9 percentage points, or 0.7 million people. These are the fastest-growing active groups in the survey.

The population is ageing too. The Office for National Statistics projects that the number of people in the UK aged 85 and over will nearly double, from about 1.7 million in 2022 to 3.3 million by 2047.

What it means for trainers: Older clients need programmes for strength, balance and mobility, and often have health conditions to work around. Specialist qualifications in this area are likely to become more valuable.

Trend 3: Weight-loss drugs reshape the market

Exercise for weight management is third on the ACSM list. In the UK, the weight-loss drug boom has given the trend a new twist.

A December 2025 report by ukactive and Les Mills said around 2.5 million people in the UK use weight-loss drugs. It cited evidence that 20 to 50% of the weight lost on these medicines can be lean body mass, including muscle and bone. The authors called for strength training support for all users, recommending sessions two to three times a week.

The NHS is expanding access. NICE estimated in December 2024 that about 3.4 million people in England are eligible for tirzepatide, with around 220,000 expected to receive it in the first three years. NICE says the drug should be given “alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.”

Consumer interest suggests the group will grow. PureGym’s UK Fitness Report 2025/26 found that only 4% of people had tried Ozempic or similar drugs, but 17% said they would like to.

What it means for trainers: People on weight-loss medicines need help to keep muscle while they lose fat. Trainers who understand these drugs, and can work alongside healthcare professionals, are well placed.

Trend 4: Exercise for mental health

Exercise for mental health is sixth on the ACSM list, and UK consumers increasingly see it that way.

PureGym’s report found that 43% of people who exercise do so to improve their mental health, up 9 percentage points on the previous year. 56% exercise to improve their overall health, up 7 points. PureGym says the research drew on YouGov data and a nationally representative survey of more than 2,000 people.

Trainers are responding. In PureGym’s survey of its own trainers, 26% of those planning further study wanted a Level 4 qualification in mental health and exercise coaching.

What it means for trainers: Clients increasingly arrive wanting to feel better, not just look better. Understanding the links between exercise and mental health, and knowing when to refer on, is becoming part of the job.

Trend 5: Exercise for mental health

Wearable technology tops the ACSM list, with mobile exercise apps fourth and data-driven technology eighth. Fitness trackers and smartwatches are now everyday kit for many clients.

UK-specific data on wearable use among gym-goers is limited. But the direction for trainers is clear: clients increasingly arrive with their own data on steps, heart rate and sleep, and expect their trainer to use it.

What it means for trainers: The skill is not owning gadgets but interpreting data and turning it into a programme. Remote and hybrid coaching through apps also opens up clients beyond your local gym.

Trend 6: Personal training becomes part of healthcare

Running through all of these trends is a shift towards health.

PureGym’s survey found that 83% of its personal trainers see personal training as part of the UK’s preventative healthcare system. 15% were currently working with a client referred by a GP, and a further 18% had done so previously. Obesity (26%) and joint conditions (13%) were the most common reasons for referral.

What it means for trainers: Exercise referral qualifications, and the confidence to work with clients who have health conditions, are increasingly valuable.

Trend 7: Record gyms, but a market of two halves

The UK gym market reached records in 2025. According to the UK Health and Fitness Market Report 2026, published by ukactive with Sport England, 4GLOBAL and Grant Thornton, there were 12.2 million members, or 18% of over-16s. Visits rose 10% to 679 million, and total income was £6.5 billion.

A separate count, the 2026 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report from LeisureDB (now Evolve), was summarised in Health Club Management. It counted 7,463 UK health clubs with 12.1 million members and a market value of £7.29 billion. So far in 2026, it recorded 205 openings and 82 closures. The two reports count clubs differently, which explains the gap in site numbers.

The growth is concentrated. LeisureDB found that the top ten operators run around 30% of sites but “capture well over half the members and market value.” Independent gyms accounted for 58.2% of closures.

At the premium end, clubs are investing in racquet sports and wellness. David Lloyd, for example, has rapidly expanded its padel courts and spa facilities.

What it means for trainers: Most new opportunities are in the large chains, especially the budget operators opening new sites. Premium clubs offer a different market, with clients willing to pay for specialist and wellness services.

The skills employers and trainers are prioritising

What do employers want? CIMSPA’s careers hub lists the skills most frequently requested in UK personal trainer job adverts. Teaching tops the list (45% of adverts), followed by first aid (41%), cleanliness (24%), management (17%) and communication (12%).

What do trainers want to learn next? In PureGym’s survey of its trainers who planned further qualifications, the most popular choices were:

The pattern matches the trends: strength, advanced programming, mental health and health referrals. It also suggests that many working trainers see further qualifications as the way to keep up with what clients now want.

Budget, premium and the middle

The gym market is splitting, and that affects where trainers work.

At the budget end, chains are expanding fast. PureGym opened 53 new UK gyms in 2025, taking its UK estate to 455, according to its annual report. Its average revenue per member was £26.29 a month across its markets.

At the premium end, the focus is on experience. David Lloyd, with 108 UK clubs, nearly quadrupled its padel courts in 2025 to 253 and now runs 52 spa retreats, 16 with outdoor cold plunge pools. Virgin Active, with 31 UK clubs, has been refurbishing clubs into what it calls “Social Wellness Clubs”. Its owner reports that one London refurbishment lifted membership by 15% and revenue by 26%.

For trainers, budget gyms offer volume and many locations, usually on a self-employed, rent-to-train basis. Premium clubs offer fewer sites but members who already pay for wellness services.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest fitness trend in 2026?

Globally, the ACSM ranks wearable technology first. In the UK, the strongest evidence is for strength training, training older adults and supporting people on weight-loss drugs.

Is personal training becoming part of the NHS?

Not formally, but the links are growing. NICE says weight-loss drugs should be given alongside increased physical activity, and PureGym’s survey found 15% of its trainers were working with a GP-referred client. Exercise referral qualifications are the usual route for trainers who want to do more of this work.

Which qualification should I take after Level 3?

It depends on the clients you want. Among PureGym trainers planning further study, the most popular choices were Level 4 Strength and Conditioning (37%) and Level 4 Advanced Personal Training (35%). Exercise referral suits trainers who want to work with people who have health conditions.

What the trends mean when choosing a course

For anyone choosing a first or second qualification, the trends translate into practical questions to ask a training provider:

• Does the course cover strength training for beginners and older adults, not just experienced gym-goers?
• Does it address working with clients who have health conditions, and when to refer them on?
• Does it include anything on weight-loss medicines and preserving muscle?
• Does it teach how to use client data from wearables and apps?
• Is it endorsed by CIMSPA, and does it lead to a current qualification?

How to use these trends

If you are training as a personal trainer, or planning your next qualification, the evidence suggests focusing on:

• Strength training, especially for older and less active clients.
• Older adults, the fastest-growing active group.
• Weight-loss drug users, who need help preserving muscle.
• Health and referrals, through exercise referral or specialist qualifications.
• Mental health, both as a client motivation and a specialism.
• Data, using the wearables and apps clients already have.

The bottom line

The 2026 trends point in one direction: personal training is becoming more health-focused. Wearables top the global list, but in the UK the strongest evidence is for strength training, older adults, weight-loss drugs and mental health.

For trainers, that means the most valuable skills are increasingly those that sit between fitness and health. A Level 3 qualification gets you started; the trends suggest that specialising is what will keep you in demand.

Sources

ACSM: Fitness Trends 2026 — 2025
ukactive and Les Mills: Shaping a New Era of Strength Training — 30 January 2026
Sport England: Active Lives Adult Survey November 2024-25 — April 2026
ONS: National population projections, 2022-based — January 2025
ukactive and Les Mills: GLP-1 medications and muscle mass — 7 December 2025
NICE: How tirzepatide will be rolled out — December 2024
PureGym UK Fitness Report 2025/26 — 8 December 2025
ukactive: UK Health and Fitness Market Report 2026 — 9 April 2026
Health Club Management: LeisureDB (Evolve) 2026 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report — 2026
David Lloyd Leisure FY2025 trading statement — 27 February 2026
Pinnacle Bidco plc (PureGym) Annual Report 2025 — April 2026
Brait PLC Integrated Annual Report FY2026 (Virgin Active section) — July 2026
CIMSPA Careers Hub: Personal trainer — 2026