Gen Z is flooding the UK’s gyms, according to new research. 11.5million people aged 16 and over now have a gym membership, which is a record high and an increase of 1.6million people since 2022. It works out as 1 in 6 people attending the gym. Honestly, none of this is surprising to me as a Gen Z-millenial cusp gym goer.
Let me put it to you simply: The gym solely relies on you and has a pretty straightforward journey to success. We’re living in uncertain times — Trump’s second presidency has already rolled back on trans and women’s rights along with healthcare funding; there’s a looming recession — but the gym for many young people is giving us a sense of much needed agency.
Gyms are one of the only spaces in which what you put in reflects directly in what you get out. Maybe this is why the same trend can be seen in the U.S., with research showing this demographic is more likely to seek out a PT and makes up around a third of new gym memberships. If you show up and consistently lift weights, slowly increasing the heaviness, overtime you will gain more muscle mass and get stronger. Even though I’ve been a member of a gym for 10 years, something has shifted in me in the last six months. I’ve committed to it harder than ever, upping my workouts to up to five times a week. I do a mix of weight lifting, cardio and mobility work. One of my goals has been to get more toned; I can see the results taking shape. It’s partly because I’m motivated, but I can’t help but see the correlation between this motivation and how bleak everything else feels. Being a journalist, I’m plugged into the news so there’s no escaping the doom happening globally.
Personally, I’m celebrating friends achieving certain milestones while feeling lightyears away from them myself. You can make an effort to date frequently, be on multiple apps, put yourself out there… but still remain single, which is probably why after years of trying, people are quitting the apps in droves. You can save and save with the hopes of maybe having a deposit for a flat, but then the economy worsens. You might get a pay rise if you’re lucky, but by then the rental market hikes and now your new salary doesn’t mean much. On an extreme side of the scale, research has even found Gen Z is so disillusioned with the economy, they’re more likely to commit fraud, not seeing it as a big deal because of their financial circumstances. You might also be striving and working hard for a promotion, only to be made redundant or told there’s no budget for a pay rise yet again. You might try to look for a new job, but as we’re in a recession, that might take far longer than you’d hope. The pathway to success isn’t clear anymore, and so much of what we put in isn’t promised to be reflected back in what happens to our lives next. Also, so much of this stuff is hinged on other people.
Yes, the gym gives us plenty of mental health benefits as well as physical, but this is about much more than that. If that sounds extreme, think about it again. Imagine feeling so disillusioned in many of the key pillars in Western society — love and work — or simply finding the norm way of living doesn’t resonate or feel right anyway, leaving you a bit lost. Smriti Joshi, psychologist and head of clinical services at Wysa, says it’s understandable that young people are drawn to the gym at a time when so much feels uncertain or out of reach. “For a generation facing a challenging job market, rising living costs, and disillusionment with traditional milestones like career progression or relationships, the gym offers something increasingly rare: a sense of agency,” Joshi says. “In the gym, the rules feel simple: show up, commit, and over time, you see results. There’s a predictability and fairness to it that’s often missing elsewhere in life right now.” When external structures feel unreliable, she adds, it’s natural to seek out activities where your effort directly translates into progress.
There’s something very rewarding about your input being so tangible and trackable in the result. There’s not much the same can be said for when we look at other facets of life for young people. I’m not getting that gratification in many other places, so my fitness efforts feel like a little orb of light I want to protect and keep creating time for. So much of what I’m working towards needs an element of luck. The gym doesn’t need that. It just needs time and dedication, both of which I have to give. It gives me a sense of power, while dating and future-planning often leaves me feeling disempowered.
Joshi isn’t surprised I feel this way. “Psychologically, this taps into the concept of restoring an internal locus of control — the belief that your actions can influence outcomes. In a world that increasingly feels shaped by forces beyond one’s control, that belief becomes a crucial protective factor for mental health,” she says. “Feeling powerless or stuck for long periods can impact mental health, leading to higher rates of anxiety, low mood, and burnout. Research also shows that regular physical activity is one of the most effective non-pharmacological interventions for supporting mental wellbeing.” She says while exercise can help rebuild confidence and self-efficacy, we shouldn’t rely on this on its own. “It’s important to have spaces to process the wider feelings of uncertainty and loss that so many young people are carrying.”
While ideally the gym would just be a space to get fit and well, not a semi-emotional crutch, we’d be foolish not to take what we can from it. Joshi says the gym can “help young people reconnect with their ability to set goals, make choices, and experience the satisfaction of seeing their own growth”. Of all coping mechanisms, one that improves your cardiovascular health really isn’t a terrible thing — and we know it.
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