Survey finds 82% prioritize strength training

Life Time’s 2026 wellness survey and the American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 trend report point to the same direction in fitness: more emphasis on strength, longevity and tracking, and less fixation on weight loss alone. Life Time said 82% of respondents planned to focus more on overall health and wellbeing in 2026, up 7 percentage points from the prior year. The company also said 42.3% named getting physically stronger as their primary health goal, while 46.5% said they planned to lift more weights. ACSM, in its separate annual survey of fitness professionals, ranked wearable technology as the No. 1 fitness trend for 2026. ### Where does the 82% figure actually come from? On Dec. 30, 2025, Life Time released results from its annual wellness survey covering general consumers and Life Time members. The company said 82% of respondents planned to focus more on overall health and wellbeing in 2026, and described that as a 7% increase from the previous year. (ir.lifetime.life) The same release said strength training had moved ahead of weight loss in how respondents described their priorities. Life Time said 42.3% chose getting physically stronger as their primary health goal, and 46.5% said they intended to lift more weights in 2026. Danny King, Life Time’s director of recovery and performance, said in the release: “Strength training is the new weight loss.” (ir.lifetime.life) ### Is the survey really saying people care more about strength than weight loss? Life Time’s wording supports that conclusion, but the numbers are more specific than many social posts suggest. The 82% figure refers to people focusing more on overall health and wellbeing, not specifically to strength training alone. The more direct strength measures in the survey were the 42.3% who named physical strength as their top goal and the 46.5% who said they planned to lift more. (ir.lifetime.life) That distinction matters because social posts have compressed several findings into one headline. The survey supports a move away from weight-loss-first framing, but the strongest documented number tied directly to strength is 42.3%, not 82%. (ir.lifetime.life) ### Why are wearables showing up in the same conversation? ACSM’s 2026 Worldwide Fitness Trends survey put wearable technology at No. 1. ACSM said the annual ranking is based on responses from thousands of clinicians, researchers and exercise professionals; one summary of the report said the 2026 edition drew about 2,000 respondents. (ir.lifetime.life) ACSM’s trend page lists wearable technology first and describes devices including fitness trackers, smartwatches, heart-rate monitors and GPS tools that collect real-time health data. The ranking does not measure consumer goals the same way Life Time’s survey does, but it helps explain why wearables are appearing alongside strength and longevity in current fitness coverage. (acsm.org) ### What about “power training” and advice to start in your 40s? The social discussion around “power training” appears to be an extension of the broader strength-and-aging theme, not a separate survey finding in the sourced material reviewed here. Life Time’s release said respondents were pairing strength goals with longevity interests and “smarter recovery and objective health metrics,” but it did not provide a quantified finding about starting explosive or speed-based training in one’s 40s. (acsm.org) That means the strongest verified thread is narrower: consumers are reporting more interest in strength and overall wellbeing, while industry professionals are still putting wearables at the top of the 2026 trend list. Claims about specific training methods or age cutoffs should be treated as commentary unless tied to a named coach, study or organization. (ir.lifetime.life) ### What should readers use as the clean takeaway? The cleanest reading is that two different surveys are being blended in online discussion. Life Time’s survey describes what respondents say they want from their health routines in 2026 — with 82% focused on overall wellbeing and 42.3% naming strength as a top goal. ACSM’s survey describes what fitness professionals see as the biggest industry trends — with wearable technology ranked first for 2026. (ir.lifetime.life) The next useful checkpoint is the release of new consumer surveys and ACSM’s next annual trend report. Until then, the most defensible source documents are Life Time’s Dec. 30, 2025 survey release and ACSM’s published 2026 fitness trends materials. (ir.lifetime.life)