Turns out short and sweet may be the strongest training strategy of all, according to new data from Tonal
Tonal members are getting stronger in less time.
That’s the headline emerging from the at-home fitness company’s new State of Strength Report, which analyzed data from 32,000 members and 700 survey respondents to understand how training habits are shifting. The takeaway? Long, punishing workouts are giving way to shorter, smarter sessions that still deliver results.
More than half of Tonal members now train for 31 to 45 minutes instead of 45 to 60, and 90% say they’ve built more strength in less time. Among members who previously struggled with time constraints, the shift is even sharper. Seventy percent now train three to five times per week and 19% work out daily.
The science is moving in the same direction, and not just for strength training. A new review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that “exercise snacks,” or short bouts of movement, can lead to meaningful gains in cardiorespiratory fitness, even when total weekly exercise time fell far below guideline levels.
But the real edge may lie in AI-driven hyper-personalization, something Tonal has built into its system to help members work smarter, not harder. And the numbers make that case quickly.
Boomers Lead the Charge
In a generational twist, Tonal’s smart strength system shows Boomers training 37% more than Gen Z while keeping pace in strength and power. They are also posting standout gains, including a 25% increase in deadlift strength and a 22% increase in bench press strength.
But as Troy Taylor, Tonal’s vice president of performance innovation and healthcare, says, it’s little surprise when you look at the lifelong benefits of consistent strength and power work.
“The data shows that people of all ages can make significant gains when coaching, progression and personalization come together, and that’s exactly what we provide our members to help them train smarter and age strong,” he said.
Strength for the Long Haul
Perhaps even more telling are the reasons people are strength training.
Rather than appearance, Tonal reports that 80% of members are training to age better, and it’s paying off. More than 75% of members over 40 say they feel more physically capable since beginning their journey on the smart strength system.
Although strength still dominates as the top mode on Tonal, members are exploring more modalities — and women are leading the shift.
Since 2021, female Tonal members are doing 3x more Pilates, 2.8x more mobility work and 2.4x more meditation. Men are adding mobility too, up 44% since 2021. Turns out variety pays off, Tonal reports. Women saw an average 15% strength gain in both deadlift and bench press after adding new modalities, and 30% of all members say their overall training variety has increased since joining Tonal.
Tonal is leaning into the desire for versatility. The company recently introduced a reformer-inspired Pilates experience with celebrity instructor Kristin McGee, giving members a new way to build mobility and core strength at home with a Pilates Loops accessory.
As Tonal members lean into more varied routines, the company is making its at-home strength system easier to test with a try-before-you-buy model. The company has partnered with retailer Johnson Fitness & Wellness to put Tonal 2 in more than 100 U.S. stores, where consumers can test the system’s expanded features, including 250 pounds of digital resistance, a built-in form-feedback camera and the new Aero HIIT cardio mode.
Personalization Fuels Consistency
On the whole, Tonal’s adaptive system, which features real-time weight adjustments, training plans and weekly targets customized to each member, may be the biggest driver of consistency. Members who regularly engage with their weekly targets hit their goals 90% of the time compared with 72% for those who don’t, Tonal reports.
The smart strength system also found that 90% of members accept Tonal’s weight recommendations across millions of sets and 71% say they lift more with adaptive weights than they would on their own.
“This year’s data shows a clear shift where consistency and smart programming are outperforming volume, and members are seeing meaningful results through shorter and smarter programming,” Tonal CEO Darren MacDonald said. “With the most advanced strength dataset in the world, we’re focused on shaping the future of training through adaptive guidance, mobility work and hybrid options, giving people the tools to train smarter and integrate fitness seamlessly into their lives.”
