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Age is just a number

Or at least to some extent: If you’ve been consistently active for decades and work with a personal trainer, you could be way past the half-century mark and more fit than someone half your age—like some of these senior athletes. And as a fit person, you can probably do even the most punishing workouts and still feel great. But that’s not most people.

Many people over the age of 50 are not in the best shape of their lives, and they may also need to manage issues like past injuries, joint pain, and chronic muscle aches. It’s also important to remember that the 50-plus set might need to spend some extra time staying limber and take more than a day between serious workouts to recover. You may even want to work with a stretching expert, as stretching becomes even more important as we age. We turned to experts to find out the dos and don’ts of working out for occasional exercisers—and those who’ve sustained injuries—after age 50. And check out this simple stretching guide.