Last year, fitness trended hard into the self-care space. More of us slowed down and honed our skills in mindfulness and recovery — read about it here. In 2018, we’re getting stronger, taking shorter classes and showing up early and late. At least according to ClassPass’ new comprehensive report on fitness-related behavior from their over 60 million class bookings this year.

ClassPass’ yearly trend report is a fun look at how we work out. We’ve drawn out some of the brand’s findings to discover useful info that might just help you workout better! Find out which trends are sticking, growing, or falling off the map altogether…

For a less crowded class, book early on weekends or late during the week. According to the report, the most popular time to book a class is 5:30PM on weeknights and 10:30AM on weekends. Here’s why that’s good to know: On the weekends, there’s no shame in sleeping in, it might actually work to your booking-benefit. If you prefer a less crowded class on weekdays, try scheduling workouts a little earlier in the afternoon or later in the evening and see if you get a quieter experience. If you find yourself struggling to coordinate friends’ schedules for brunch dates, try for an 11:30 reservation – it’s likely your pals workout before then. We’re cutting back on cardio …and stacking up the weights. Cardio-focused classes were once easily the top class booking, but these days, more and more people are learning to lift heavy instead. In 2018, the top fitness activity was strength training, which has more short and long-term benefits than cardio alone.

Get ahead of the trend and onto a treadmill. The type of workout expected to be the biggest fitness trend of 2019? The treadmill class! ClassPass saw an 82% increase in classes that incorporated treadmills in 2018 versus 2017. Washington D.C. was ranked the most likely to book a treadmill class — maybe the city’s got a bit of stress to sweat out?

More of us are booking class that are 45-minutes or less. Who has time to spend two hours at the gym every day? According to the trend report, “ClassPass users were 33% more likely to book a class under 45 mins (44 minutes or less) in 2018 than they were in 2017. We predict this trend of shorter class times will continue to rise in 2019.” Shorter classes mean you don’t have to carve out so much time to work out, which means less excuses to skip a class. Additionally, shorter classes are linked to the reduction of cortisol — learn about the link here.

Have you tried a treadmill class? How do you feel about your city’s stats?
Here is one of our favorite new studios of 2018 in LA.