Struggling with Knee Pain? Here's Why You Still Need to Strength Train After 50

If you’re a woman in your 50s or beyond and avoid squats, lunges, or step-ups because of knee pain, you are so not alone. This is one of the most common concerns I hear from clients who are trying to stay active but feel like their body is working against them.

The truth?

Knee pain doesn’t mean you can’t strength train.
It means you need to train smarter.

And the sooner you learn how, the better you’ll move, now and in the years ahead.

Why Your Knees Might Hurt (and It’s Not Always About the Knees)

When a client comes to me with knee pain, one of the first things I tell her is this:

What hurts isn’t always what’s causing the pain.

Yes, your knees may feel stiff, swollen, or sore after movement, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the problem starts in the knee joint.

Often, it starts in the core. Or the hips. Or the feet.
Your knees are just where the body lets you know something’s off.

It All Starts With the Core, But Not the One You’re Thinking Of

Most people think “core” means their abs. But your true core starts much deeper, with your breath.

Your diaphragm and transversus abdominis (TVA) are your body’s inner stabilizers. These deep core muscles help create internal pressure and support your spine, pelvis, and hips.

When they’re not firing correctly, when your breath is shallow, or you’re holding tension, you don’t have a strong, stable center to move from. So your body compensates.

And guess who sometimes pays the price?
Your knees.

That’s why, inside my Strong After 50 program, we start at the beginning, with breath, core connection, and body awareness, before we ever talk about squats.

Your Hips Hold the Key to Strong, Pain-Free Movement

Another common culprit in knee pain?
Weak or inactive hip muscles.

When your hips don’t stabilize properly, or when muscles fire out of sequence, your body compensates, and that force gets dumped into your knees.

If you’ve ever felt “off balance” or unsteady in a lunge, this is likely why.

We need to teach your brain and body to reconnect, so the right muscles activate in the right order. That’s where real strength—and real confidence—comes from.

Don’t Forget About the Feet

Your feet are your foundation.
And if your weight rolls to the inside edge, or you push off your toes in a squat or lunge, you’re asking your knees to do a job they were never designed to do alone.

In Strong After 50, we check all of this, how you breathe, how your hips move, and how your feet connect with the ground.

Because the secret to pain-free movement after 50 isn’t doing less.

It’s doing it right.

Real Results from Real Women

One of my private coaching clients came to me with knee pain that made walking uncomfortable. By week 3, we had her walking pain-free. By week 10, she was confidently doing step-ups, deadlifts, and split squats, with no pain, no flares, and so much more belief in what her body could do.

She didn’t just get stronger.
She got her confidence back.
And yes, her jeans fit better too. (That’s always a welcome side effect.)

This Is Why I Created Strong After 50

This program was built for women just like you—the ones who want to stay active and independent in their second act, but feel held back by pain, fear, or simply not knowing where to start.

Inside Strong After 50, you’ll learn:

• How to reconnect with your breath and core
  
  

• How to stabilize your hips for strength without pain
  
  

• How to squat, lunge, and step up safely and confidently
  
  

• How to build real muscle, balance, and body awareness
  
  

• How to feel strong again—from the inside out
  

You move at your own pace.
You get lifetime access.
And when you’re ready for more support, you can join my membership community for continued accountability and guidance.

If you’ve been thinking,
“I need to do something… but I’m scared to get hurt”
this is for you.

Your Second Act Deserves Strength

You’re not too far gone.
You’re not too late.
And you don’t have to feel scared of your body anymore.

You can get strong—without hurting yourself.
You just need the right foundation.

Strong After 50 launches this September.
In the meantime, grab the free Strong After 50 Blueprint to learn 5 essential shifts that help you get started safely and stay consistent.