Canada has a strength problem, and it is not the one you see on a competition platform. According to ParticipACTION's 2025 Report Card on Physical Activity for Adults, released November 19, 2025, only 35% of adults in Canada do muscle-strengthening activities using their major muscle groups at least twice a week. That earned the country a D+ on the indicator. It is an improvement on the D- handed out in 2021, but for an industry built on getting people stronger, it is a number every coach, trainer and gym owner in this country should be talking about.
What the Guidelines Actually Ask For
The benchmark is not extreme. The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults, launched on October 15, 2020 by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Queen's University, ParticipACTION and a network of researchers, ask adults aged 18 to 64 for:
- At least 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic physical activity
- Muscle-strengthening activities using major muscle groups at least twice a week
- Several hours of light physical activity, including standing
- Sedentary time limited to 8 hours or less, and 7 to 9 hours of good-quality sleep
Adults 65 and older are also advised to include physical activities that challenge balance. Two strength sessions a week is the ask. Roughly two out of three Canadian adults are not getting there.
Who Is Being Left Behind
The report card's subgroup data shows the gap is not evenly spread. Using Canadian Health Measures Survey data (2022–2024), the report found:
- Men vs. women: 43% of men met the strength recommendation compared with 36% of women.
- Age: 42% of adults aged 18–64 met it, versus 30% of adults aged 65–79.
- Income: 43% of the highest-income adults met it, compared with 32% of the lowest-income adults.
Self-reported surveys tell a similar story. Across the Canadian Community Health Survey (2023) and the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute's 2025 Physical Activity Survey, between 29% and 37% of adults reported strength activities at least twice a week. Rural adults reported 25%, versus 31% for urban and suburban adults.
Put simply: the people most likely to be missing out on strength training are older adults, women, lower-income Canadians and those living outside cities. That is a roadmap for where coaching talent is needed most.
The Bigger Picture: A Country Stuck in Neutral
Strength is only one part of the report, titled Moving Beyond Stagnation: Elevating Physical Activity in Canada. ParticipACTION reports that only 46% of adults meet the aerobic activity guideline, a figure it describes as stagnant for years. Just 32% of adults hit daily step recommendations, down from 49% in 2021. The organization pegs the cost of physical inactivity to the health-care system at $3.9 billion a year, and estimates that a modest 15% relative increase in physical activity could save nearly $1 billion annually in health-care, absenteeism and chronic disease management costs.
"All movement matters." — Dr. John C. Spence, Report Card Chief Scientific Officer
What the Report Asks of Coaches and Trainers
Here is where it gets interesting for the fitness industry. The report card does not just grade Canadians; it makes specific recommendations for muscle-strengthening, and several land squarely in the coaching world:
- Lower the barrier: communicate that any resistance training twice a week can improve strength. Not a perfect program. Any.
- Make expertise accessible: make educational resources and certified, instructor-led classes easier to access.
- Tailor it: trainers should adapt resistance training to specific populations and help people find amounts and intensities that suit their goals.
- Keep it time-efficient: promote practical options such as free weights, bodyweight exercises and resistance bands.
- Pair it with cardio: explain that resistance training combined with moderate-to-vigorous activity may be more beneficial.
The report also flags research gaps, including identifying the minimal effective "dose" of resistance exercise and examining everyday alternatives like bouldering and carrying groceries.
Turning a D+ Into Something Better
For coaches, the takeaway is practical. The biggest wins are not in squeezing another five kilograms out of a seasoned lifter. They are in getting a 60-year-old, a busy parent or a first-timer in a small town through two short, well-coached strength sessions a week, and keeping them coming back. That might mean:
- Selling simplicity: two full-body sessions built around a handful of big movements, with clear progressions.
- Programming for real people: beginner-friendly classes and balance work for older clients, in line with the guidelines for adults 65+.
- Meeting people at home: dumbbells, kettlebells and bands make the twice-a-week target realistic for clients who will never set foot in a commercial gym. If you are starting from scratch, our look at why the dumbbell deserves a spot in your routine is a good primer.
- Respecting recovery: consistency beats intensity for most of this population. Our guide to training smart and recovering smarter covers the basics.
Strength is also central to the wider conversation around healthy ageing. If you missed it, catch up on why everyone is suddenly talking about longevity.
The Bottom Line
Two sessions a week. That is the line Canada's own guidelines draw, and nearly two-thirds of adults are not crossing it. For an industry full of skilled coaches and passionate trainers, that is not just a public-health statistic. It is the biggest opportunity on the board.
Are you a coach or trainer helping Canadians get stronger? Tell us how you are closing the gap with your clients, follow Inside Fitness for more coaching insight, and pick up the latest issue of Inside Fitness for the training stories shaping Canada's fitness scene.