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New data reveals short, smart workouts are in and long, intense grinds are out

30-minute workouts are more popular than ever

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man using Tonal machine
Tonal / Tonal

You can still break a sweat and get your muscles moving in just 10 minutes. Lately, I’ve been enjoying powering through an 11-minute mixed aerobic and bodyweight strength workout. By the end of those 11 minutes, I’m definitely feeling it. Most fitness pros agree that any number of minutes is better than zero minutes of exercise, and many of us have to pencil in those sessions when we have time in our busy schedules. The future of fitness involves short and strategic workouts, and that’s exactly what the new data shows.

Tonal data

Man wearing tank top in gym doing cable pullover exercise on cable machine rope pulley
Ladanifer / Shutterstock

Tonal surveyed 677 members and analyzed outcome data from 32,000 members. All members had between six months and three years with Tonal and worked out at least 24 times for a minimum of three minutes with resistance on Tonal. The specific movements of interest were the bench press and the classic deadlift, and workout behavior was evaluated between June 2024 and June 2025. During that window, the members had to have completed those two moves at least twice. Let’s check out the results.

The four major shifts

man using Tonal machine
Tonal / Tonal

Here are the four major shifts noted from this data:

  • Short workouts are in. “No time, no problem”. Targeted, time-efficient sessions can deliver meaningful results when you stay consistent. Over half of the members train for 31 to 45 minutes rather than 45 to 60 minutes. 70% of members now train three to five times every week. 19% work out every day.
  • Lifting for longevity. People are taking note that staying committed to strength training fosters their independence, mobility, and lasting energy over the years.
  • Hybrid training is health training. Today’s routines blend modalities for more resilience and well-rounded results.
  • Smarter training for stronger results. People are valuing data-driven, personalized training over generic advice and routines.

Age is just a number

The tonal data shows that age isn’t a barrier when it comes to consistency and effort, and older generations matched or even exceeded younger members’ relative strength and power gains in key functional moves.

Aging well and holistic health are key motivations

Across all generations, 80% of members reported training to age better. 39% of members cited holistic health benefits as the top motivator for hybrid training.

Men and mobility

At 44%, the data shows men are adding more mobility training into the mix.

Hitting goals

man doing Tonal exercises
Tonal / Tonal

The Tonal data reveals the following:

  • 90% of the time, members who engage with personalized weekly targets hit their goals.
  • 71% say they lift more with personalized weight recommendations than they would on their own, highlighting the benefits of customization and data-driven feedback.
  • 83% of the engaged members improved their one-rep max by at least 10%.
  • 60% of the engaged members improved their one-rep max by at least 25%.
Steph Green
Steph Green
Steph Green (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and…
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