A lot of my clients arrive having been told to avoid squats because of their knees, or to stop lifting because of their back. Sometimes that advice was right at the time. Often it was given once, years ago, and nobody revisited it. Avoiding movement completely rarely makes a sore joint stronger.
Change the exercise before you remove it
If a full squat bothers your knees, we do not drop the squat. We sit back to a box set at a comfortable height and lower it over the weeks. A split squat, where one foot is behind you, often feels better than a standard squat. A kettlebell held at your chest changes the angle again. There are usually several ways to train the same pattern, and one of them will feel fine.
For backs, the hip hinge is the skill that matters most. Learning to bend from the hips with a flat back, holding a light kettlebell, teaches you to pick things up safely and builds the muscles that support your spine. Carries are another favourite of mine: walking with a heavy bag in each hand works your grip, trunk and posture at once.
A simple rule for pain
My rule of thumb is this. A dull ache or tightness that stays the same during the session and settles within a day is usually fine to train around. Sharp pain, pain that gets worse as you continue, pain that wakes you at night, numbness or pins and needles in a limb are all reasons to stop and get it checked by your GP or a physiotherapist. Do not train through those.
Strength is part of the answer
Stronger muscles around a joint share the load. That does not mean every sore knee or back will be fixed by lifting, and I am not a physiotherapist. It does mean that a well-built programme, started light and increased slowly, is a reasonable thing to try once you have been cleared to exercise.
What this looks like in a session
We warm up the joints that complain, pick exercises that fit your range of movement today, and keep a note of how each one feels. If something flares up, we change it next session. Over time the list of things you can do gets longer, not shorter.
If you have been told to stop doing something and you would like to know what you can do instead, book a free consultation. Bring your history and we will work out where to start.