Garmin’s 2025 fitness report is out — and one activity in particular exploded in popularity

The 2025 Garmin Connect Data Report is officially out. Every year, Garmin releases a trend report based on collective data from the millions of users who rely on the Garmin Connect app to record their daily workouts.

This year's report has no shortage of intriguing insights. For example, Garmin users recorded 8% more physical activity this year compared to 2024, and both HIIT workouts (+45%) and Pilates (+46%) saw massive growth.

However, there's one activity type in particular that saw an even greater surge in interest, resulting in a massive 67% increase in user sessions.

This one activity type exploded in popularity in 2025

Almost all of the physical activities that grew significantly in popularity in 2025 are individual in nature, with this notable exception.

According to Garmin's 2025 Connect Data Report, racket sports saw the largest increase year-over-year in recorded sessions (+67%).

While racket sports include a number of activities, such as tennis and badminton, it seems likely that the massive spike is due to continued surging interest in pickleball.

After all, according to a spring 2025 report by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), pickleball is currently the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., with more than 20 million active players.

Played by either two or four players, pickleball is kind of like tennis, but on a smaller court with a lower net. Instead of rackets, you have paddles, and instead of a tennis ball, you use something similar to a wiffle ball.

It's a darn fun time, whether you're looking to take it seriously or just whack around some balls with friends while sipping bevs; it also requires minimal investment to play. Both of these factors likely contribute to its rise.

Other takeaways from Garmin's 2025 trend report

After racket sports, HIIT workouts, and pilates, the next fastest growing activities were strength training (+29%), indoor running (+16%), diving (+16%), and hiking (+12%).

The trend report also notes that women globally averaged lower stress scores than men in 2025, and that younger users (18-29) recorded the highest body battery energy levels, which isn't too surprising. This group also recorded the most outdoor running sessions, while users in the 50-59-year-old category dominated indoor cycling.

In addition to an overall 8% increase in recorded user activity, Garmin users also averaged more steps taken in 2025 compared to 2024.

Finally, Sleep Scores increased in 2025 by a modest 1% with the global average sleep score being 71, something that makes me feel better about the average quality of my rest.

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