American Council on Exercise names AI top trend

The American Council on Exercise said on January 9 that artificial intelligence is the top fitness trend for 2026, putting AI ahead of fitness trackers, recovery methods and menopause on its annual list. ACE said the ranking came from its scientific advisory panel and reflected trends expected to have a lasting impact or drive long-term change in health and exercise. The nonprofit certification and education group framed AI as a business and coaching tool rather than a standalone consumer gadget. The report has circulated again this week in social-media posts, but the underlying ACE list was published in January. ### When did ACE actually publish the ranking? January 9, 2026 is the publication date cited by Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals in a report summarizing ACE’s list. That report said ACE “expects artificial intelligence (AI) to be the leading health and fitness trend in 2026” and linked the ranking to ACE’s own article, “10 Fitness Trends in 2026 and Beyond.” ACE’s website was intermittently unavailable when accessed on July 9, but its press-room and article index show the organization has continued publishing 2026 research, education and industry guidance. The January trend list is also referenced by other trade outlets that covered the release earlier this year. (abmp.com) ### What, exactly, did ACE say about AI? ACE’s panel said AI “will become the backbone of programming, member communication, scheduling, personalization, and staffing,” according to the January summary published by ABMP. The same summary said ACE viewed AI as the leading trend because technology is increasingly shaping both client experience and business operations. (acefitness.org) The wording matters because ACE did not describe AI only as chatbots or workout generators. The organization placed it in the center of how gyms, coaches and health professionals might run programs, communicate with clients and tailor plans. ACE separately has offered continuing-education material on “AI in Fitness” and on how exercise professionals can “thrive in the age of AI,” underscoring that it sees the technology as part of day-to-day coaching practice. (abmp.com) ### Did ACE itself cite sleep, heart rate and stress tracking? ACE’s January summary did not, in the material reviewed, spell out the specific examples circulating on X about AI coaches analyzing sleep, heart rate and stress. Those examples are consistent with broader descriptions of AI fitness tools and wearable-driven coaching, but they were not clearly stated in the secondary ACE summary that could be verified here. (acefitness.org) The same caution applies to the claim that smart gyms using computer vision can cut injuries by about 40%. A web search surfaced third-party articles making similar claims, but no authoritative ACE source or clearly attributable primary study was verified in the material reviewed for this story. For that reason, that figure should be treated as unconfirmed in connection with ACE’s ranking. (abmp.com) ### What else made ACE’s top-10 list? ACE’s January list also included better integration of data from fitness trackers, recovery methods, menopause, health span and longevity, metabolic health, inclusive fitness, obesity medications, holistic approaches to healthy living and exercise communities as “third spaces.” ABMP said some items carried over from 2025 while others were newer trends emerging in health and wellness. (fluxini.com) Recreation Management, in a separate trade report on ACE’s release, also described the 2026 list as spanning artificial intelligence, fitness trackers, recovery methods and inclusive fitness. That broader mix shows ACE ranking AI first within a wider set of industry shifts rather than as an isolated announcement. ### Why has this resurfaced now? (abmp.com) X posts in the last 48 hours recirculated the ACE ranking and condensed it into consumer-facing claims about AI coaches and smart gyms, which appears to have renewed attention around the January report. The timing of those posts does not change the underlying publication date: the ACE trend ranking itself was released on January 9, 2026, based on the reporting reviewed. (recmanagement.com) ACE’s next public touchpoints are likely to come through its professional education and research pages, where the organization has continued publishing 2026 material on AI, recovery and coaching practice. (acefitness.org) (abmp.com)