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 workouts feel harder to recover from—or don’t seem to translate into everyday strength—you’re not imagining it. What doesn’t help is chasing intensity for its own sake or measuring fitness only by gym performance.

If you’ve been told you need intense workouts to stay young and healthy, you’re not alone. What doesn’t help is feeling like fitness has to be exhausting to be effective.

If your body feels stiffer or slower than it used to, you’re not imagining it. What doesn’t help is being told you need harder workouts, longer sessions, or more discipline than you had in your younger years.