Treadmills to deadlifts: why Gen Z is swapping cardio for strength training

A shift in fitness habits among younger gym-goers is reshaping how many people exercise, with strength training increasingly favored over traditional cardio-focused routines.

Gyms have reported a boom in membership, with much of the growth attributed to younger members, often characterized as Gen Z, who are gravitating toward weightlifting and resistance exercises such as deadlifts rather than solitary treadmill sessions.

A cultural shift in workouts

The move away from purely cardio-based exercise toward strength training reflects broader changes in how fitness is discussed and practiced, with weight training increasingly seen as appealing for both physical and social reasons, as gyms adapt their offerings to match demand.

Solitary cardio machines, once a mainstay of many gym floors, appear to be losing ground to free-weight areas and group strength sessions as the preferred setting for younger exercisers.

The broader health implications of this shift, including its effects on long-term fitness outcomes, continue to be studied, though the growing popularity of strength training itself is evident in gym membership and usage patterns described in recent reporting.