A WorkoutHealthy Facebook post reopened an old argument: weightlifting or running? We read every comment on that post and counted what people actually said.
The split was lopsided. The reasons behind it were the more interesting part.
See the original Facebook post
The headline numbers
- 85% of commenters said they prefer weightlifting to running.
- 40% of those who had switched from running to weightlifting said the reason was simply a change in what they enjoy.
- Hip pain, knee pain, and injury prevention were the other major reasons people gave for switching.
- 30% said they want both in their routine rather than choosing one.
How we collected this
This is a count of public comments on one WorkoutHealthy Facebook post published on April 14, 2024. Every comment was read and sorted by what the person said they prefer and, where they said so, why.
Two limits are worth stating plainly. The people who answer a fitness page’s post are not a random sample of anyone, and a page that sells gym equipment attracts an audience that already leans toward lifting. The total number of comments was not recorded at the time, so the percentages above should be read as the shape of one conversation rather than a measured population figure.
Anyone quoting these numbers should cite them that way.
Why lifting won
The enthusiasm was hard to miss. Comments ran to things like “Weightlifting 1000%” and “Lifting all day.” The reasons clustered into three groups: building muscle, getting stronger, and avoiding injury.
That last one matters more than the raw split does. Several people were not choosing lifting because they love it more. They were choosing it because running stopped working for their joints.
Plenty of people refused to pick
Roughly three in ten commenters said the question was wrong. They do both.
One reader described the pattern that came up repeatedly: “I like a combo of brisk walking for 20 minutes after 45 minutes of weight lifting.”
That combination shows up often enough in these threads that it reads less like a compromise and more like a deliberate structure. Lift first, then add easy aerobic work at the end.
When the body makes the choice
A meaningful share of the switchers did not change their minds. Their joints changed for them.
As one commenter put it: “I used to loooove running but now that my hip and knee bother me I prefer lifting.”
This is the pattern behind a lot of equipment questions we get. Someone who ran for twenty years does not stop training when running becomes painful. They look for something that loads the body without the repeated impact.
What this does not show
It does not show that weightlifting is better than running. Nobody in this thread ran a study. What it shows is which one this particular audience prefers, and that joint pain is doing more of the deciding than preference alone.
If you want the research side of the strength question rather than the opinion side, our piece on whether lifting weights keeps your brain young covers what the controlled trials actually found. For the aerobic half, daily steps and mortality looks at what the step count evidence supports.
Citing this
Journalists and bloggers are welcome to quote these figures with attribution to WorkoutHealthy, provided the methodology note above travels with them. The underlying thread is public and linked at the top of this article.
This analysis was originally published on workouthealthy.com in August 2024 and moved here in August 2026.
References
- WorkoutHealthy. (2024, April 14). Weightlifting vs. Running [Facebook post]. Facebook
