10 Must-Know Fitness Tips of 2025—All Backed by Science

Fitness research reveals essential strategies to boost your workouts, like when to exercise. Applying these tips can improve muscle growth and heart health.

1. Lift a Few Heavy Sets For Muscle Growth

You can build strength and grow muscle by increasing the number of sets, but only up to a point. In fact, strength gains plateau after just two direct sets targeting a specific muscle.1

Fewer sets of heavier weights can build strength over time. After a few hard sets, any more leads to minimal gains and far greater muscle fatigue and recovery time.

2. Try Weights Before Cardio

People who lift before doing cardio may have better muscle power and endurance, as well as lower body fat.2

The idea is that doing cardio first can drain your body’s energy, making it harder to give your full effort during strength training.

3. One Hour of Weight Lifting A Week Is Enough

Weight lifting for an hour each week—or specifically, two 30-minute sessions—may lead to noticeable improvements in muscle size and strength after two months.3

4. Use the Sitting-Rising Test To Gauge Where You’re At

Completing the sitting-rising test can be a marker of a longer lifespan and longevity.4

The goal of the fitness test is to sit down and then stand back up using as little assistance (a hand or knee, for example) as possible.

If you’re unable to complete the sitting-rising test, experts said that’s an indicator you may need to work on non-aerobic fitness, including balance, flexibility, muscle strength, or range of motion.

5. Morning Workouts May Be Better for Heart and Lung Health

The time of day when you exercise can actually affect your health. People who are most active in the morning may have better heart and lung function.5

Experts think our bodies’ internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm, may explain this link. People who exercise at the same time each day have better overall health, too.5

6. Yoga, Tai Chi, and ‘Exergames’ Can Benefit Your Brain

Any form of exercise is good for your brain, but yoga, Tai Chi, and “exergames” (active video games, such as Dance Dance Revolution or Nintendo Wii Sports) may protect your brain most effectively.6

Experts said the mind-body connection required for each of these activities makes them particularly helpful for brain health, especially cognition and memory.

7. Tailor Your Workout to Your Personality

Doing workouts that match your personality may lead to better consistency and results. People tend to prefer different workouts based on their “Big 5” personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeability, openness).7

For instance, extroverts tend to prefer high-intensity workouts with others, such as exercise classes and team sports, while more agreeable people enjoy longer, lower-intensity sessions.7

8. Early to Bed, Early to Rise

People who go to bed around 9 p.m. can typically get up to 30 more minutes of physical activity the following day, as compared to people who go to bed around 1 a.m.8

These results are more about bedtime than sleep time. People who get more than seven hours of shut-eye actually have lower levels of physical activity the next day.8

Experts recommended an earlier bedtime (with a standard amount of sleep) to maximize your movement the next day.

9. Try ‘Japanese Walking’ on Your Next Stroll

“Japanese Walking” is an interval training method that blew up on social media in 2025—and it has scientific backing.

Older research suggests that interval walking may improve strength, peak exercise capacity, endurance, and blood pressure.910

All you have to do is walk quickly for three minutes, then walk slowly for three minutes. For a full workout, repeat this pattern five times, reaching a total of 30 minutes.10

10. The Right Exercises Can Help You Sleep Better

Three exercise interventions—yoga, Tai Chi, and walking—may help people sleep more and reduce insomnia.11

These exercises can all help prime your body for sleep: Tai Chi can encourage relaxation, walking may boost melatonin levels, and yoga may increase levels of a sleep-promoting neurotransmitter in the brain.