Powering through

The report also suggests a significant shift in women's workout preferences, with strength training gaining popularity.

While 61 percent of female customers still focus on weight loss and body sculpting, 21 percent opt for muscle-building personal training courses, with the trend on a steady increase, the report said.

One fitness coach, surnamed Yan, confirmed the trend, noting that more of her female clients are aiming for a muscular physique through exercise.

Yan said that compared to the uncertainties of work and life, exercise offers more direct rewards — the dopamine released during exercise brings physical joy, while the endorphins from progressively lifting heavier weights deliver a lasting sense of achievement and satisfaction.

Through strength training, women start to discover their physical strength, thus becoming more empowered both physically and mentally, Yan said.

"One of my clients is a graduate student who, after strength training, gained more than just strength. She used to rely on her male peers to lift heavy liquid nitrogen tanks for her experiments in the lab, but now she can do it herself and even help her juniors. That made her feel powerful," said Yan citing one example.

Yan said the sense of control over the body translates into a newfound feeling of confidence in life, which is manifested in actions such as standing up against workplace injustices rather than staying silent.

Xiong Huan, a professor at South China Normal University, said that for a long time, muscles were seen as the exclusive domain of fitness-focused men — a symbol of power, while the goal for women in fitness has been to get slimmer, with muscular women often facing discrimination from others.

Xiong and her team published the book Made of Corporeal Self in 2021, which focuses on social interpretations of females' roles during sports.

The team found that when a woman tries to break stereotypes and step into the center of a boxing ring, she feels uncomfortable by the gaze of others. When she passes through a male-dominated weightlifting area, filled with unfamiliar equipment and sweaty "pros", she may feel intimidated.

However, this trend is shifting. The 2025 Young People's Fitness Report recently published by the Houlang Research Institute shows nearly 70 percent of men enjoy free weight training, including barbells and dumbbells. Women are closing this gap, with 53 percent also favoring free weights, the report said.

When discussing muscle preferences, women are moving away from the ultra-slim physique, opting instead for a healthy, energetic look — moderate body fat with foundational muscle mass. Muscle has become a must for them, according to the report.

For instructor Yan, she's noticed that some of her clients initially sought to emulate the physiques of influencers on social media platforms, but moved beyond body image anxieties after becoming fitness enthusiasts.

For instance, a woman who fell in love with Brazilian jujitsu, a martial art and combat sport, has reconciled with her once dreaded thick thighs, now focusing more on athletic performance.

"Who cares if my thighs are thick? They should be strong; it makes it harder for opponents to grab my pants, and I have more power," the jujitsu enthusiast said.

Women used to be trapped by the concepts of "lean shoulders and defined collarbones" "tiny waist" "bubble butt" and "slim long legs", which, in Yan's eyes, are shackles imposed on women shaped by the male gaze.

Workouts help transform how women view themselves, encouraging them to reject externally imposed beauty standards and embrace their true selves, Yan said.