People Abandon Fitness Routines as They Get Older, Study Finds

As the fitness industry doubles down on longevity, new research reveals many older adults stop doing the workouts they need most

It’s no secret the fitness and wellness industry obsesses over acquiring younger members, but a new longitudinal study makes the case that what happens to the 55-year-old deserves equal attention, and reveals the opportunities that exist for fitness operators.

So finds the HABITAT study (How Areas in Brisbane Influence Health and Activity), which tracked 10,997 adults in Australia aged 40 to 65 across three survey waves in 2007, 2009 and 2011. 

Participants reported their frequency of engagement across 12 activity types: weights, running, cycling, yoga and tai chi, swimming, golf, tennis, exercise classes, team sports, park-based activities, lawn bowls and home-based exercise. Researchers defined meaningful participation as at least once per week, aligning with public health standards. 

It may not be surprising that older adults exercise less as they age, but the study’s real value lies in the specifics: who stops, what they quit first and when the dropout begins.

The Numbers 

At baseline in 2007, 41.8% of participants reported no weekly activity participation. By 2011, the figure climbed to 67.2% and engagement in four or more activities per week fell from 8.2% to 3.6% over the same period. 

The most popular activities among adults aged 40 to 44 were home-based exercise, weights and running, but all three declined substantially as the participants aged: home-based exercise dropped from 25.5% weekly participation in 2007 to 13.7% by 2011, running fell from 16% to 6.6% and weight training slid from 19.1% to 10.9%.

The Gender Split 

The study also tracked who was doing what, with a breakdown that can be helpful for operators programming for a 50-plus member base.

Women consistently reported higher weekly participation in yoga and tai chi, group exercise classes and home-based workouts, while men reported longer participation in running, cycling, golf and team sports. Participation in running, weights, cycling and park-based activities declined with age across both groups, but remained generally higher among men across most age brackets.

Greg Scheinman, founder of The Midlife Male, a media and community platform built for men in their 40s and 50s, has been making the case for the potential that exists.

“Brands will spend millions to reach Gen Z, while ignoring the men who can actually afford to buy the products, stick with them and tell their friends,” he said. “The fitness world keeps trying to optimize the wrong man.”

The research also identified an interesting education tie-in. Adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher reported consistently higher weekly participation in running, cycling, yoga and weights, particularly during midlife. Those with trade or diploma qualifications, on the other hand, engaged more consistently with weights and team sports. Some sports had universal appeal regardless of education, such as park-based exercise, tennis and lawn bowls, the study found.

While the researchers acknowledged the value of any sustained physical activity, they flagged the move away from resistance training and high-impact movement as carrying real consequences for musculoskeletal health.

Resistance training, for example, plays a central role in promoting healthy aging by preserving muscle mass, improving strength and balance and reducing the risk of falls and fractures, researchers said. The decline of high-impact activity, such as running, tennis and team sports, drew a separate flag from researchers, who noted that impact loading plays a critical role in bone synthesis and offsetting age-related bone density loss.

Appealing to the Mature Consumer

Former group exercise coach and fitness writer Mikala Jamison, whose forthcoming book “The Forever Project” examines long-term movement practice, said she’d like to see more operators develop programming specifically for older adults, particularly around strength training for menopausal and postmenopausal women. 

“Longevity stuff is really top of mind for me right now,” she said, “especially in the conversation with women and strength training — bone density and protective factors during aging.”

She added that classes remain one of the most accessible entry points for older adults who find open gym floors intimidating, but that most current offerings aren’t designed with that demographic in mind.

While the researchers suggest community-based programming, age-appropriate strength initiatives and inclusive entry points as promising directions, some fitness operators are already on board. 

Los Angeles-based The Gym Venice is one operator that saw the opportunity early. The strength-training studio caters exclusively to adults over 40, built around a proprietary Muscle Preservation Method emphasizing joint-friendly progressions, foundational strength patterns and mobility training. Every coach holds a Certified Functional Aging Specialist credential. 

“Years of sedentary habits, muscle loss and movement limitations make this demographic more complex, which leads a lot of trainers to shy away from the challenge,” The Gym Venice founder Kris Herbert said. “This is exactly the population we love working with. The impact goes far beyond aesthetics—our clients improve their healthspan, change habits and live fuller, more purposeful lives.”

And don’t discount the active aging crowd when it comes to AI-powered fitness, especially when the technology removes the guesswork entirely.

At Fred Fitness, widely recognized as the first AI-powered gym, older members have become some of the most enthusiastic converts, according to CEO Andre Enzensberger. The gym uses EGYM’s machine learning technology to generate personalized training plans, auto-configure equipment and eliminate the intimidation factor that keeps many older adults out of the weight room.

“We have older people who love us for the reason of everything being guided,” Enzensberger said. “The whole idea that the guesswork is removed and you can just use the gym is particularly great for older people who know how important strength training and muscle building is — but are lost in a regular gym.”

Meanwhile, ACSM’s 2026 Worldwide Fitness Trends forecast ranked fitness programming for adults 65 and older as the second biggest trend in the industry this year.