Shaping a New Era of Strength Training
Why Move it or Lose it is leading the way for older adults
A new national report from ukactive and Les Mills has a clear message: the UK must rethink strength training.
Seventy-five percent of Gen Z strength train at least twice a week. However, nearly one in three adults, or 32%, do not do any strength exercise. Additionally, 43% do not meet the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines.
This isn’t just a fitness trend. It’s a public health issue — and an opportunity to start shaping a new era of strength training for every generation.
Strength training isn’t just about lifting weights
The report reinforces what Move it or Lose it has advocated for over a decade:
Strength training is about helping people stay mobile, independent and confident.
Strength-based activity supports:
- Balance and coordination
- Flexibility and posture
- Bone and joint health
- Fall prevention
- Daily functional movement
- Mental and cognitive wellbeing
For older adults in particular, strength training is one of the most powerful tools we have to protect against frailty and loss of independence.
The awareness gap
Despite national guidelines recommending two days of strength activity per week, awareness remains low:
- 73% of adults don’t know the guidelines
- Awareness among Baby Boomers is just 9%
- Among the Silent Generation, only 7%
Yet when older adults join gyms or exercise programmes, their number one motivation is to build strength.
People want to be stronger — they just need safe, supportive and accessible ways to do it.
Move it or Lose it members are already changing the picture
This is where Move it or Lose it is helping to close the gap.
Every week, Move it or Lose it now reaches 65,000 older adults across the UK, supporting them to stay active, independent and confident.
Our own class data shows:
- 90% of Move it or Lose it members attend at least one class every week
- 10% attend two or more classes per week
That means tens of thousands of older adults are already building regular strength and balance training into their routine — often for the first time in their lives.
But the impact doesn’t stop when the class ends.
Our instructors actively encourage members to practise simple “homework” exercises between sessions, helping them stay active and maintain progress throughout the week.
Each month, we also share a new video with our community, giving members fresh ideas and motivation to keep working on their strength, balance, independence and confidence between classes.
And because every Move it or Lose it class combines:
- Strength
- Balance
- Flexibility
- Aerobic fitness
- Dual-task (physical + cognitive) training
- Pelvic floor exercises
Participants are not just exercising once a week. They are creating healthier habits for their physical and mental wellbeing. This helps them feel stronger, steadier and more confident every day.
This is exactly what shaping a new era of strength training looks like in practice.
This new focus on senior strength reflects a growing understanding that strength training should be done several days a week to protect bone density, muscle mass and overall health.
While Gen Zers often discover strength training through gyms, free weights and social media trends, older generations are increasingly recognising that staying active is essential not just for physical health but also for mental wellbeing and confidence.
Research consistently shows that regular physical activity helps reduce anxiety, improve mood and maintain independence as we age.
With guidance from qualified instructors and personal trainers, strength training becomes safe, accessible and motivating — whether it’s once a week in a Move it or Lose it class or building up to two or more sessions each week.
This is how we bring together Baby Boomers and Gen Z under one shared goal: to build strength, protect health and create lifelong habits that support both body and mind.
How Move it or Lose it is shaping a new era of strength training
Move it or Lose it has always delivered strength training differently.
Our programmes are built around four key pillars:
Flexibility
Aerobic fitness
Balance
Strength
But we go further by including:
- Dual-task exercises for brain and body
- Pelvic floor training
- Seated and standing options for inclusion
- Community connection and confidence-building
This is strength training for real life — not gym culture, not intimidation, and not one-size-fits-all.
It’s about helping people:
- Get up from a chair
- Walk with confidence
- Carry shopping
- Reduce risk of falls
- Stay independent
- “Turn back the clock on ageing”
Strength & Balance Circuits: our next step forward
In 2025, we launched our new Strength & Balance Circuits classes — another milestone in shaping a new era of strength training for older adults.
These sessions are designed to:
- Build muscle safely
- Improve reaction time and stability
- Reduce falls risk
- Increase confidence with resistance training
- Complement weekly Move it or Lose it classes
They also support members who want to move from one class a week to two or more, helping more people meet the national guidelines consistently.
Strength training at home: our Online Club
The report also shows that people who combine online and in-person exercise are more likely to stick with strength training long-term.
Our Move it or Lose it Online Club removes barriers such as transport and confidence by offering:
- Live and on-demand classes including strength and balance exercises
- Qualified instructors
- Safe progressions
- A welcoming community
Because shaping a new era of strength training means making it accessible to everyone — wherever they live.
Strength is for every generation
Gen Z may love lifting, but older adults need strength training just as much — if not more.
Strength training must be:
- Inclusive
- Evidence-based
- Enjoyable
- Social
- Safe
That has always been our mission.
Founder Quote
Reflecting on the findings of the report and Move it or Lose it’s mission to support healthy ageing, Julie Robinson, Founder of Move it or Lose it, said:
“For too long, strength training has been seen as something only for the young or the already fit.
At Move it or Lose it, we’ve always believed that strength belongs to everyone — especially as we age. Strength is what helps you stay independent, confident and connected to life.
This new report confirms what we see every day in our classes: when older adults are given the right support, they don’t just get stronger physically — they feel stronger mentally and socially too.
That’s what shaping a new era of strength training really means.”
Become a Move it or Lose it Instructor
This new national focus on strength training also highlights the urgent need for more trained, confident instructors who understand how to work safely and effectively with older adults.
At Move it or Lose it, we are proud to train instructors across the UK to deliver evidence-based, inclusive strength and balance classes in communities, leisure centres and online.
Becoming a Move it or Lose it instructor isn’t just about teaching exercise — it’s about helping people stay independent, improve their mental wellbeing and truly turn back the clock on ageing.
If you’re passionate about health, movement and making a difference, now is the time to join us and help shape a new era of strength training for older adults.
Move it or Lose it is proud to be part of a national movement that is shaping a new era of strength training — one that helps people live stronger, steadier and more independent lives.
Because strength isn’t about how much you lift.
It’s about how well you live.