New year, new you \u2014 or at least new ways to move. A recent report has revealed the top fitness trends set to take over 2026, and Toronto gym owners are weighing in on which ones are likely to actually stick in the city.<\/p>\n
A new U.K.-based study<\/a> from health club PureGym is predicting the next wave of workouts, with a shift back to basics through low impact exercises and more accessible forms of movement, though a few questionable fads are still sneaking into the mix.<\/p>\n The report\u2019s top ten fitness trends for 2026 are:<\/p>\n Japanese walking<\/p>\n Walking yoga<\/p>\n Plank hover<\/p>\n Nord Pilates<\/p>\n 10-20-30 method<\/p>\n Bridal arm workouts<\/p>\n Virtual fitness challenges<\/p>\n HYROX<\/p>\n Dead hangs<\/p>\n 75 Medium<\/p>\n But which of these trends are actually sure to take off in Toronto?<\/p>\n To find out, Now Toronto spoke with two local boutique gym founders who are seeing these shifts play out in real time: Ryan Rambarran<\/a>, owner of Unity<\/a> in Scarborough, and Ottillia Giralico<\/a>, owner of North York\u2019s Club Enhergy<\/a>.<\/p>\n HYROX IS ON THE HORIZON<\/p>\n If there\u2019s one trend both experts agree has real staying power, it\u2019s HYROX.<\/p>\n Launched in Germany in 2017, HYROX is a worldwide fitness competition that blends endurance and strength in a hybrid race format, allowing everyday gym-goers to train like athletes without needing elite-level skills.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody is doing HYROX,\u201d Rambarran said. \u201cThey\u2019ve created an atmosphere where anybody can feel like they\u2019re at the Olympics. You feel representation, a sense of belonging, a sense of confidence. It empowers you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Giralico says HYROX fits Toronto\u2019s personality perfectly.<\/p>\n \u201cToronto loves structure, competition, and something you can train towards,\u201d she tells Now Toronto. \u201cHYROX hits all of that. It\u2019s not just a workout \u2014 it\u2019s an event, a goal, and a community.\u201d<\/p>\n She says she\u2019s witnessed gyms begin to program around HYROX and clients change their mindset from aesthetic goals to performance-based ones.<\/p>\n \u201cConversations are shifting from \u201cI just want to lose weight\u201d to \u201cI\u2019m training for something,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n SOFTER CHALLENGES WITH TOUGHER MINDSETS\u00a0<\/p>\n The PureGym list also highlights 75 Medium, a more flexible version of the viral 75-day challenges that have dominated fitness social media in recent years.<\/p>\n Rambarran notes that extreme challenges like the strict 75 Hard, popularized by Andy Frisella, have brought discipline back into fitness conversations.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s pretty intense training,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople don\u2019t necessarily do it for the fitness aspect. They do it for the mental aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n Giralico also believes the city is gravitating toward moderation and balance in the new year.<\/p>\n \u201cToronto is shifting away from all-or-nothing mentalities. People want structure, but they also want something realistic that doesn\u2019t burn them out socially, mentally, or physically,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople are craving a reset that doesn\u2019t feel punishing. It\u2019s that mindset of \u2018I want discipline, but I also want to live.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That thought process may explain the growing interest in the number one trend, Japanese walking, a high and low intensity interval-based walking method designed to improve cardiovascular health without overwhelming the body.<\/p>\n \u201cFitness doesn\u2019t always need to be extreme to be effective,\u201d Giralico said. \u201cIt fits into busy city life \u2014 high return on investment, low barrier, very sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n PILATES AND YOGA WILL CONTINUE TO RANK HIGHLY\u00a0<\/p>\n Pilates, especially Nord Pilates \u2013 which blends traditional Pilates with Nordic training principles \u2013 continues to be popular, something Rambarran says is already obvious with the boom it had in the previous year.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re going to see more Pilates studios open up in the new year,\u201d Rambarran predicted. \u201cPilates studios give off a certain type of aesthetic, a certain type of vibe. It\u2019s not only there for people who are working out but it\u2019s more of the feeling, the ambience, the experience of being a \u2018Pilates girly\u2019 or Pilates baddie.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Yoga also remains a staple in fitness, not just for flexibility but for mental health.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYoga is making a comeback because we\u2019re in a very fast-paced world,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s allowing people to refocus their mind, refocus their body, and also help with their attention span.\u201d<\/p>\n WHAT TRENDS ARE MISSING THE MARK?<\/p>\n Not every trend on the list earned praise.<\/p>\n Both experts were critical of the \u201cbridal arm workout,\u201d which targets brides sculpting their upper bodies specifically ahead of the wedding.<\/p>\n Rambarran bluntly said he has never heard of the phenomenon.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how many brides that I\u2019ve trained, and I\u2019ve never had somebody come up to me and say, \u2018Hey, how do I get my arms toned quickly for my wedding?,\u2019\u201d he laughed. \u201cThe biggest thing from a woman on her special day is how she looks standing behind her groom or partner, and how their whole body looks, not necessarily just the arms.\u201d<\/p>\n Giralico understood the concept, but was also a bit skeptical.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they\u2019re creative and fun, and I get why they resonate\u2014weddings are emotional, meaningful milestones,\u201d she said. \u201cThat said, I don\u2019t love the idea of training only for a single date. Fitness shouldn\u2019t be something you pick up for 12 weeks and then drop once the photos are taken. I believe movement and strength should be part of your identity and lifestyle, not just a countdown.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s similarly cautious about hyper-specific trends like the 10-20-30 interval training method, which Rambarran argues lacks strong evidence of drastically changing your body.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t imagine myself doing a group class and saying \u2018we\u2019re gonna do 30 seconds of low intensity.\u2019 It\u2019s not very stimulating for your mind, and it\u2019s important for your mind and your muscles to be engaged so you get the full results that you\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n WHAT\u2019S NEXT FOR TORONTO FITNESS?<\/p>\n Beyond the PureGym list, Giralico sees one major trend gaining momentum in Toronto: performance-based strength training for women.<\/p>\n \u201cLess focus on shrinking and more focus on capability,\u201d she said. \u201cWomen want to lift heavier, move better, and feel powerful in real life.\u201d<\/p>\n She also sees growing demand for community-driven challenges that prioritize showing up consistently rather than chasing extreme transformations.<\/p>\n Rambarran adds that as fitness trends multiply, accountability matters more than ever and argues that government incentives could play a role in making health and fitness more accessible across the city.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that we\u2019re in better shape than we were before,\u201d he said. \u201cI think a lot of us could learn the importance of taking care of their health and the value of it. It\u2019s not just about doing it because you want a quick story on your Instagram, or you\u2019re doing it because you want to look good, but it\u2019s also about how you age gracefully.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n