If you've started strength training or want to stay strong as you age, you may wonder whether lifting weights will make you stiff.What doesn't help is believing you have to choose between building muscle and staying flexible.

If you work out regularly but still feel stiff, tight, or limited in certain movements, you’re not imagining it. What doesn’t help is thinking fitness is only about strength, endurance, or burning calories.

If fitness feels harder to maintain than it used to—or like it requires more effort for fewer results—you’re not imagining it. What doesn’t help is being told you just need tougher workouts or more discipline.