Tired of your busy January gym? Strava reveals the exact date it'll be quiet again

(Image credit: Future)

January is historically a busy month for fitness and gyms
The second Tuesday of January is often referred to as Quitter's Day
Strava says it has been the most common activity break for its users every year for more than five years.

If you've returned from the holidays to find your gym mobbed by the teeming masses of January fitness enthusiasts, then you don't have long to wait before people start to fall off the wagon and things quieten down again.

Every year, people flock to the gym hoping to kickstart their New Year's resolutions and finally tackle that health push they've been talking about. As we all know though, plenty of those who've started won't finish. It's a tale as old as time.

Not only is the January fall-off an age-old tale in fitness circles, it's also a scientifically proven phenomenon. Strava has the data to prove it, such that it can predict the exact date every year, and Quitter's Day 2025 is fast approaching – here's when your gym will start to quieten down.

When is Quitter's Day 2025?

Apple Watch Ultra 2 showing an outdoor walk workout alongside a trainer — (Image credit: Future)

Strava says that Quitter's Day falls on the second Tuesday of January each year. For more than five years, it's been the most common activity break for Strava users, and this year it falls on January 14.

So if you head to your gym on that day and think to yourself that things are a little quieter than they've been for the last couple of weeks, you probably aren't imagining it.

Not that we're rooting for anyone to fail, of course. In fact, Strava has released a slew of helpful tips backed by new data to help people keep up their fitness commitments in 2025.

Strava, one of the best fitness apps, especially for outdoor adventurers, says the most popular goal-setting trend is a week-by-week approach. In any given month only one-third of Strava runners who met or were close to meeting their goals actually tracked perfectly against them. There are also seasonal cycles – runners are most likely to be on track in the summer months (in the US and UK) of July through September, while January and February are the months athletes are least likely to be hitting their goals.

Tips from Strava to stay on top of your goals include joining a running club or working out in a group, introducing variety to keep things fresh, and making rest a priority.

So if you are starting to feel that January struggle, try those helpful tips, and know that if you make it past January 14 then that's a big deal. And if you're a more committed fitness enthusiast you can start counting down the days until you're able to find a bit more space in the locker room, and – finally – some free treadmills.

Stephen Warwick is TechRadar's Fitness & Wearables writer with nearly a decade of experience covering technology, including five years as the News Editor of iMore. He's a keen fitness enthusiast and is never far from the local gym, Apple Watch at the ready, to record his latest workout. Stephen has experience writing about every facet of technology including products, services, hardware, and software. He's covered breaking news and developing stories regarding supply chains, patents and litigation, competition, politics and lobbying, the environment, and more. He's conducted interviews with industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. Outside of work, he's a massive tech and history buff with a passion for Rome Total War, reading, and music.