6 Workout Mistakes Women Over 50 Make (and How to Fix Them)
I've been teaching women in their 50s, 60s and beyond for over ten years. And I see the same workout mistakes over and over.
Not because anyone's lazy or doing it "wrong." Most of us were just taught that exercise should hurt, that more is better, and that the scale is the scoreboard. That advice didn't serve us at 30, and it really doesn't serve us now.
Here are the six I see most, and what I tell my members to do instead.
1. Skipping Strength Work
A lot of women in their 50s do plenty of walking, maybe some yoga or a gentle stretch class. All good. But strength work gets left out, usually because it feels intimidating or like something for "gym people."
The fix: build some strength work into your week. It doesn't have to mean heavy barbells. Pilates with light weights or a band, squats, lunges, getting up and down off the floor. Start where you are and make it a little harder as you get stronger.
Try this class now with me. Grab a pair of light weights and your mat.
2. Going All-Out Every Single Time
"Go big or go home" is a hard habit to break. Plenty of the women who come to me spent years in boot camps and spin classes, pushing to the edge every session. Then a knee flares up, or their back gets cranky, and they're out for weeks.
The fix: most of your workouts should feel challenging but doable. You should finish feeling better than when you started, not wrecked for two days. Rest days count too.
3. Jumping Straight Into Strength on a Stiff Body
This is the one I'm most passionate about. Most of us come to the mat carrying years of desk sitting, stress and old injuries. Tight hips. A stiff upper back. That shoulder that's never been quite right.
Piling hard workouts on top of that usually doesn't feel great. So in my studio, every class follows the same three steps:
Realign. Gentle, dynamic movement to wake up stiff joints.
Stabilize. Work on the smaller muscles that support you.
Strengthen. Holds and light resistance, once your body's ready.
In my experience, strength comes easier when your body moves well first.
4. Choosing Intensity Over Consistency
One killer workout a week won't do as much for you as something smaller you do most days. I've seen it again and again in my studio. The women who get the best results aren't the ones who go hardest. They're the ones who keep showing up.
The fix: think 20 minutes, most days. A short Pilates class, a brisk walk, whatever you'll actually do. All you need for Pilates is a mat, so there's not much standing in your way.
5. Treating Exercise Like Punishment
If you think of your workout as payback for last night's dessert, you're going to dread it. And you'll stop.
The fix: think of it as time for you. I often tell my members Pilates is like a moving meditation. You can't rush it. You have to pay attention to your breath and your body, and for a lot of women it ends up being the calmest part of the day.
6. Only Measuring the Scale
The number on the scale is one tiny piece of the picture, and it's a pretty discouraging one to obsess over.
The fix: pay attention to how you feel. Are you getting up off the floor more easily? Carrying the groceries in one trip? Sleeping better? Standing taller? Those are the wins that keep you going.
What Workouts for Women Over 50 Should Feel Like
You should finish feeling looser, a bit stronger, and like you want to come back tomorrow. Not sore for days, and not bored either.
If you're wondering whether Pilates fits that, I wrote a whole post on Pilates for women over 50 and how to build strength without getting hurt.
Start With My Free 5-Day Mobility Reset
If mistake #3 sounded familiar, this is the place to start.
My free 5-Day Mobility Reset is five short sessions, each under 15 minutes, for your shoulders, upper back, hips, neck and spine. It's gentle on purpose. It's the first two steps of my method, realign and stabilize, so your body moves well before we start adding strength.
No equipment. Just a mat and a bit of floor space.
Get the Free 5-Day Mobility Reset →
When you're ready for step three, the strength work, that's what my online studio is for.
_
About Christine
Christine Kirkland is a certified Pilates instructor and the founder of an online studio for women over 40. She's been teaching women in their 40s, 50s and 60s for over ten years, and every class follows her simple three-step method: realign, stabilize, then strengthen. She writes regularly for Sixty and Me, and she believes getting stronger should leave you feeling good, not wrecked.
