You’re not alone—and it’s not just an “over 65” problem.

At Stay Strong Fitness, we train a lot of clients over 65, but we've been seeing joint pain and stiffness show up more and more in younger populations too. Not. Good.

The good news? We use simple strategies to help our clients feel better, move better, and keep making progress in the gym—regardless of their age. I’m going to share some easy action steps with you.

Let’s break it down.

1. Hydration = Joint Lubrication

Think of your joints like an engine—they need oil. That "oil" is called synovial fluid, and it's mostly made of water. If you're dehydrated, your body doesn’t produce enough of it, and your joints won’t glide how they’re designed to. You’re essentially drying your joints out. Sounds bad? It is.

Dehydration also leads to more inflammation throughout your body and tighter muscles. Tight muscles, increased inflammation, and dry joints are a recipe for stiffness and pain.

Action Step:
Bring a water bottle to your workout and finish it before or during your session. Keep a second bottle in your car and drink it before you get home. No excuses—hydration is free joint therapy.

2. Warm Up & Cool Down > Training

Your warm-up gets that synovial fluid (your body’s oil) moving so your joints are ready to work. It also preps your muscles and nervous system to move efficiently and safely. Plus, performance in your workout goes up drastically when you’re properly warmed up.

At Stay Strong, we love this simple strategy:
Spend 5–10 minutes doing light, controlled reps of the exercises or movement patterns you’ll be doing that day. Focus on technique, not weight. After your workout, stretch for 5 minutes to ease muscle tension and boost blood flow for recovery.

Action Step:
Before your next workout, do 1 set of each planned movement for 15–20 slow, light reps. Afterward, stretch the muscles you just trained for at least 5 minutes total.

3. Mix Up Your Training

If you're doing the same movements with the same intent over and over and never changing your routine, your joints may be begging for a change. Repeating the same patterns too often increases your risk for overuse injuries—and yep, more pain.

Add variety. Move in different directions. Side lunges, banded chops, or even crawling patterns are great options.

Action Step:
If you work out 3x a week:

• Make 1 day about strength

• 1 day about mobility

• And 1 day about conditioning or movement variety

Keep your body guessing—in a good way.

Programming Note: You do need to stay consistent with movements to see progress and create adaptations. Doing random things all the time doesn’t lead to better results. Intent is what matters.

Final Thought:

Pain and stiffness don’t have to be part of your workout routine. With hydration, proper warm-ups, stretching, and variety, you can train hard and feel great.

If you need help building a routine that supports your joints, we’ve got your back. Literally.

All you have to do is reach out. We have the track record to prove it.

Stay Strong!
Sam