Treadmills are out, barbells are in: why gym-goers are abandoning cardio for weight training

Is loads of muscle all you need for a long and healthy life? You’d think so, given the way everyone’s fighting over the squat racksWed 23 Apr 2025 17.42 CESTShare

Name: Cardio

Age: 64

Appearance: Sweaty and red-faced; prevalent from 1961 to 2025.

What happened in 1961? The famous London busmen study, which showed that bus conductors had a lower incidence of coronary heart disease than bus drivers, thanks to the protective effect of moderately vigorous physical activity.

So everyone started applying to become bus conductors? No, cardiovascular exercise became a thing, with running, aerobics, rowing and spinning taking turns to be the cardio of the moment.

And what happened in 2025? People just stopped doing it.

Why? Do they prefer heart disease? They’d rather lift weights. Muscle building is in; cardio is out.

Really? These are the choices? The evidence is unmistakable. Google searches for cardio workouts have declined steadily since 2021, while those for strength training have increased.

Searching ain’t exercising – take it from someone who knows. Gyms are converting yoga studios into lifting stations to meet demand. Big US fitness chains have reduced their cardio equipment by as much as 40% to make room for more weights.

Who is responsible for this major cultural shift? As usual, it’s influencers, mostly on TikTok.

Persuading disaffected young men they need to be swole to be whole? Actually, it’s women and older people who are driving the switch.

How come? Being muscular is now associated with being healthy, and regular weightlifting is meant to help prevent obesity and increase longevity.

And cardio doesn’t? Not so much. Cardio is good for heart and lung health and reduces high blood pressure, whereas strength training improves your metabolism and maintains bone density.

So which is actually better for you? To maintain optimum overall health, you really need to be doing both.

Somehow I knew you were going to say that. A 2022 study found evidence that combining muscle-strengthening exercise with aerobic activity led to additional mortality risk reduction, with a maximum benefit coming from doing the latter three times a week and the former up to seven times.

Ten times a week? I don’t even do things I like 10 times a week. There is, of course, a fair bit of overlap: you can raise your heart rate while lifting weights, and build muscle while running uphill.

Is there any upside to cardio being suddenly unfashionable? There’s no queue for the treadmills any more.

Great. The queueing was my favourite part of going to the gym. Don’t worry – now you can queue for the squat rack instead.

Do say: “You know what keeps me fit? Struggling under the weight of society’s expectations.”

Don’t say: “If you cleared out all these rowing machines, you’d have room for a cheese counter.”

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