Treadmills to deadlifts: Why Gen Z are swapping cardio for strength training
Antonia Duffin
When Antonia Duffin, 34, started going to the gym, she wanted to lose weight and tone up.
It became such a big part of her life that she decided to become a personal trainer alongside her day job in operations for a supermarket chain – and now runs her own women’s gym in Manchester.
“Some of my clients want to feel stronger, some want to get in shape for a baby and some are struggling with other conditions like endometriosis and want to feel better,” she says.
Hybrid training, like Hyrox, which is sociable and competitive, seems to have taken over from running on a treadmill or general cardio on a bike, she explains.
Antonia also notes an appetite for more strength training workouts among younger clients, adding: “I think people are now realising the importance of it – we’re preventing osteoporosis and things like that.”
Do numbers bear that out? And how are workouts across the UK changing?
Gym boom
According to Sport England, more young adults are going to the gym, using exercise machines and weights to keep fit compared to nine years ago.
“Gyms offer broader types of exercise, like resistance training, which can improve body composition and shape more quickly than aerobic exercise training,” explains exercise expert Dr Andrew Scott, from the University of Portsmouth.
He says social media is having an impact too. “Lots of people are largely learning from influencers, suggesting ‘I can do it, this is what I did and so can you’.”
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Student Will Seward, 19, started going to the gym when he was at secondary school because he wanted to “get stronger and build up his physique”.
His workouts – usually three a week – have changed over time, from using running machines and exercise bikes initially to more explosive training using weights, to help build athleticism.
“It’s had a real impact on my day to day life,” he says, “improving my mood and making me feel generally healthier.”
Barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells and cable machines are all part of the strength training Antonia offers in her gym space, located in a shipping container.
