Welcome to 2025!
THE NEW YEAR is here, and with it we’ve reached the halfway mark of the 2020s. This point in the calendar offers an opportunity to assess yourself and how you’ve been going about your life—particularly when it comes to your fitness routines. You can use the moment as the starting point for your commitment to new healthy habits, or, if you’re in the midst of a consistent fitness practice that makes you happy, a renewal for another trip around sun following the same plan.
First, allow all that happened in 2024—and the back half of the decade—pass into memory. You likely had a few highlights and personal bests, some tough days and low points, and many more days in between when you showed up and did your best. You need all of those for a well-rounded fitness practice.
Now, focus your attention on what your intentions are for the coming year in 2025. Do you have any new resolutions—or, as we’d prefer you to think about them so you can keep up beyond the first weeks of January, goals? Maybe you want to nail a new weight room PR, run a fast 10K, or hit a consistent streak of workouts like you never have before. If you have an accomplishment in your sights, here’s how you can stick to a plan for long-term success and stay consistent throughout the rest of the season with a strong winter arc. If you’re also jumping back into a fitness practice after some time off, you should also make sure you’re equipped to get back in the groove to stay consistent. Here’s a helpful guide to keep you on track. If you’re an absolute beginner, never fear—we’ve got a purpose-built plan for you, too.
What do we think is coming in 2025? The MH fitness team made some bold predictions based on what we’ve seen across the industry lately (hint: more strength, health tech, and fun). And you shouldn’t just stay in the same routines in the gym all year—we’ve highlighted the 25 best fitness events you can train to tackle in 2025. Want to start running? Use this expert-designed method to get moving, and believe us when we say you don’t need to run a marathon in order to be a “real” runner, either (but we’ll help you plan how to train if that is your goal).
If you’re less certain of exactly what you’d like to accomplish in 2025, we have plenty of resources to guide your way. Whether you’re looking for detailed breakdowns of the best exercises for your routines, full-on training plans, and advice on how to put all that knowledge into practice, MH has your back. This year, we’ll break down complex fitness topics with high-level, expert-sourced guides, starting with one of the holy grails of gym goals: Body recomposition.
If you’re an MH MVP Premium member, you’ll have access to even more resources available, like the MH MVP Training Lab. Start with this total-body tune-up workout to shake off those holiday cobwebs. If you’re a busy dad (or just a busy guy) and you want an even more focused plan to fit dedicated training into your schedule, the new Dad Bod Shred workout program can be the next step.
For everything else, you can also use the categories below to keep you on the right track—and keep coming back to Mens Health throughout the year for more information and inspiration to support you on your fitness journey. These exercises, workouts, and programs will help you to be a healthier, no matter what 2025 throws at us.
UPPER BODY
To forge biceps of steel, shoulder boulders, and broad back and chest muscles, this is the place to start.
CARDIO
If you’e ready to get sweating now that the New Year is here, this is the place to start.
LOWER BODY
To perfect your squat, grow your glutes, and sculpt your legs, this is the place to start.
FULL BODY
To take on hard-hitting routines that challenge multiple muscle groups in one go, this is the place to start.
