How to Strength Train Gently with Injury, Pain, or Chronic Illness After 45
- Vicki Phillips
- Jun 7
- 4 min read
My Experience with Strength Training with Chronic Pain After 45
For a long time in my 40s, I believed I just wasn't made for movement anymore.
I'd go back to weightlifting with the best intentions — applying everything I'd learned as a personal trainer. Starting gradually. Building slowly. Doing everything right.
And most of the time I'd feel fine during the workout.
Then I'd wake up the next day with severe tendonitis.
Over and over again.
It made me feel like such a failure. Which of course led to giving up — not out of laziness, but out of genuine fear of what might happen if I kept going. And slowly, quietly, I started catastrophising. Telling myself that my body was broken. That movement wasn't for me.
But here's what I now understand deeply - both as someone with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and as a personal trainer.
All bodies are made for movement. Our mental and immune health literally depends on it.
The problem was never my body.
It was that every option I was being given was causing more harm than good.
And if you're living with:
Chronic pain
Fatigue
Joint issues
Hypermobility
Old injuries
Or chronic illness
...you probably know exactly what I mean. It can feel almost impossible to know where you fit inside the fitness world when so much of the messaging still centres intensity, pushing through discomfort, and "no excuses." But many bodies simply don't respond well to that approach. And honestly, they shouldn't have to.
Your Body Is Not a Problem to Push Through
One of the biggest shifts that can happen in midlife is realising that strength training does not need to feel punishing to be effective.
Your body is not something you need to fight against.
It’s something you learn to work with.
That means:
paying attention to recovery
adjusting movements when needed
respecting energy fluctuations
building gradually rather than aggressively
This is not “doing less properly.”
It’s often the exact thing that allows consistency to become possible.
Gentle Strength Still Builds Real Strength
There’s a misconception that if exercise is adapted, slower, or gentler, it is somehow “doesn’t count.”
But strength is built through:
consistency
progressive adaptation
nervous system safety
recovery over time
Not punishment.
For many women navigating chronic pain or illness, a calmer approach actually creates better long-term outcomes because the body feels supported rather than overwhelmed.
Learning to Trust Your Body Again
One of the quiet losses that can happen after years of pain, injury, or difficult exercise experiences is a loss of trust in the body itself.
Movement starts to feel unpredictable.Exercise feels intimidating.The body begins to feel like something fragile or unreliable.
Gentle strength training can slowly rebuild that trust.
Not all at once.
But through small experiences of:
feeling capable
completing a session without crashing afterwards
noticing steadier movement
feeling supported instead of depleted
These moments matter more than most people realise.
Progress May Look Different Now
Strength training with chronic pain and/or illness after 45 can look a little different.
Progress after 45 may not look like:
harder workouts every week
dramatic physical transformation
pushing limits constantly
Sometimes progress looks like:
less pain during daily movement
more confidence getting up from the floor
improved stability
better energy management
recovering more easily after activity
These are meaningful changes.
And for many women, they improve quality of life far more deeply than aesthetic goals ever could.
What This Is Really About
Strength training after 45 is not about forcing your body into someone else’s definition of fitness.
It’s about creating a relationship with movement that feels:
sustainable
supportive
adaptable
safe enough to continue
Especially if your body has been through a lot.
You do not need to move perfectly.
You do not need to push through everything.
You simply need an approach that respects where you are now.
If This Resonated
If this way of thinking about strength feels like a relief, you might also enjoy exploring:
A Gentle Approach to Strength Training - where I share the philosophy behind this calmer way of building strength
The Truth About “Failing” at Fitness - for a different perspective if you’ve struggled to stay consistent in the past
Gentle Invitation
If you’re over 45 and thinking about starting, I don’t think you need do anything extreme.
You just need something structured. Calm. Clear. Progressive.
My Strength After 45 Starter Guide is designed exactly for that. Gentle, practical, and ready for you to download and begin today.
When you download the guide, you’ll also join my email list where I share gentle tips, movement ideas, and guidance for midlife women who want to feel strong, confident, and at home in their bodies.
If this reflection resonated, and you’re curious about a gentler, body-led approach to fitness and movement after 45, you might also like to explore Calm Strength, my full 12-week guided online strength program for midlife women.
I’m always happy to have a calm conversation and explore whether support might be helpful for you.
— Vicki 🌿
Comments