Gen Z is hitting the gym to take back control

Gen Z are trading pints for protein shakes, but what does this obsession with fitness really say about growing up in uncertain times, asks Emilie Murray

The gym provides a clear path to setting and achieving goals, and for many young people it delivers a badly needed sense of agency. File photo

The 44th Dublin Marathon this Sunday will see 22,500 runners take to the streets. Until now, most spots went to repeat entrants through a priority system, but organisers have announced that the early-entry scheme will be scrapped in a bid to bring in more women and first-time runners.

The change is reflective of a wider trend. Running has never been more popular or more competitive, with a growing amount of young people desperate to secure places at the starting line.

Not too long ago, marathons, at least in my mind, felt like the territory of borderline Olympians. These days, it seems the couch-to-42k pipeline has become a rite of passage for many 20-somethings.

Practically overnight, everyone around me has developed strong opinions on brands of gels, carbon-plated shoes and run belts. And it’s not just my circle; people everywhere seem to be catching the running bug.

Recently, Harry Styles shocked fans by not only running the Berlin Marathon but finishing with a highly coveted sub-three-hour time.

Sweeping change

Marathons, though, are only one expression of a much broader shift sweeping through my peer group.

Young people are turning to regular exercise and clean eating in droves, creating an uptick in gym memberships, run club sign-ups and personal development programmes in a way never seen in previous generations.

According to recent reports, Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — are the key demographic driving the boom. Around 30% already hold gym memberships or use fitness facilities regularly, with another 25% planning to join.

At the same time, Gen Z are drinking far less than their predecessors, consuming roughly one-third less beer and wine than previous generations and embracing alcohol-free alternatives at significantly higher rates.

This visible commitment to health and fitness has drawn plenty of media attention, with headlines quick to brand Gen Z as the “boring generation”. Countless articles have been published pointing out how young people are seemingly swapping out pints for protein shakes, and late nights out for quiet evenings in.

As a fellow Gen Z-er, I can see how the label has stuck. From the outside, our choices around how we spend our time and money can look, admittedly, a little dull.

People everywhere seem to be catching the running bug. File photo

We go to therapy. We read self-help books. We meal-prep, count macros, and doom scroll for hours. We’ve steered away from drugs and binge drinking, we’re having less sex, and house parties feel like relics of another era.

I’ve noticed this shift play out in my own life. Friends are harder to pin down on a Friday night as someone always seems to be training for yet another half-marathon or slipping away early to make their 6am spin class.

At social gatherings, I have found myself on more than one occasion nodding along while someone waxes lyrical about protein intake, a topic that has somehow crept into the realm of polite small talk, right alongside the weather and weekend plans.

Taking control

For a while, I treated my refusal to join the gym or buy into the ever-growing fitness fad as a kind of badge of honour. But now, as I slowly lose more friends to the relentless cycle of training schedules and recovery days, I feel as if the whole thing has gotten out of hand.

Gen Z’s embrace of fitness may seem like a positive, especially as modern life forces us to be increasingly sedentary.

But this move away from “fun” and excess isn’t just about prioritising wellness over hedonism; it’s a symptom of what it means to be a young person in these uncertain times.

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As my peers and I enter adulthood, it is clear that the world we are entering isn’t a particularly hospitable one. Between an unstable job market, skyrocketing asset prices and an ever-worsening cost-of-living crisis, the path to success has never felt so intangible.

The old model of “do well at school, get into a good university, secure a stable job, buy a house, start a family” no longer seems to apply, leaving a feeling of disillusionment about traditional milestones.

Emilie Murray: 'Gen Z’s embrace of fitness may seem like a positive, but it’s a symptom of what it means to be a young person in these uncertain times.'

The gym, on the other hand, provides a clear path to setting and achieving goals, and for many young people it delivers a badly needed sense of agency.

In the absence of reliable career ladders or affordable housing, maybe my generation has turned to something where progress is measurable. A heavier deadlift, a faster mile, a new personal best, are all tangible proof that discipline still pays off.

And since the fitness trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere and my Friday nights clearly aren’t changing anytime soon, I suppose it’s time to bite the bullet and dust off my trainers… or, more accurately, finally buy some.