Strength training: why is it so important?

Alex Lucas Research Manager, ukactive

Strength training is vital for overall health, mobility and independence and helps to reduce the risk of frailty as we age. While we are often told of these benefits, less is understood about how gyms and leisure facilities are adapting to support changing strength training preferences. Our report, Shaping a New Era of Strength Training, that we’ve produced with Les Mills, is based on consumer trends and patterns from our consumer engagement polling, and it shows just how important strength training has become for the population.

Despite knowing we need to stay strong, overall awareness of the Chief Medical Officer’s strength guidelines is low. This data begins to tell us why.

Involvement in the gym and fitness community makes a notable difference to individuals’ knowledge, confidence and engagement with strength training. These levels are highest among current gym members and lowest for those who have never been members. For example, 56% of individuals who have never been gym members report being ‘not at all confident’ to start strength training, compared to 34% who used to be members and only 7% who currently are members.

We hope this evidence can be used by the sector to stay ahead of the curve

When it comes to knowledge on the number of days to strength train, and where to look for information, the pattern is the same. Over a third (34%) of individuals obtain their information to start strength training from a gym or leisure facility – the top source reported - which is highest for current members and lowest for never been members.

For the younger groups- Gen Z* and Millennials – these age groups are more aware, more confident and more likely to look to our sector for support for strength training than middling (Gen X) and older generations (Baby Boomers and Silent Generation). They’re also more likely to utilise a mix of in person and online (e.g. social media) sources for knowledge and participation whereas older generations are more likely to rely on interactions with their GPs to gain knowledge and will complete daily tasks as a part of their strength training. These age group differences show the challenges and opportunities for our sector on how to balance the use of facilities with the demands for online content, plus the need for strength support to be integrated with healthcare services.

The report also offers a series of recommendations to support these unique strength journeys. These include the need for increased public awareness driven by government, tailored messaging from operators on how the sector can support individuals and the importance of healthcare partnerships to ensure consumers are getting the strength support they need.

Our sector plays a vital role in maintaining population strength and this should align well with Government and NHS health priorities as they continue to manage a range of health and frailty issues as the population ages. By using these consumer insights from our report, we hope this evidence can be used by the sector to stay ahead of the curve and continue to support the population in its evolving strength-based needs.