Training With Arthritis: Is Weight Lifting Good for Your Joints?

Training with arthritis can feel risky, especially when your joints already ache. But for osteoarthritis, the NHS and Versus Arthritis both recommend exercise, including strengthening work, as a core part of managing it. Here’s how to start and how to adapt it.

See your GP first if you haven’t been diagnosed, if a joint is hot, red and swollen, if you have sudden severe pain, or if you feel generally unwell with joint pain. If you have inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis, follow your rheumatology team’s advice on exercise, especially during flares.

Arthritis is a broad term for conditions that affect the joints. The most common type is osteoarthritis, where the cartilage and other tissues in a joint change over time, often in the knees, hips, hands and spine. Training with arthritis is not only possible, it’s widely recommended. This guide focuses mainly on osteoarthritis, with a note on inflammatory types further down.

Is weight lifting good for arthritis?

For most people with osteoarthritis, yes. Guidance from the NHS and from the charity Versus Arthritis recommends regular exercise, including strengthening exercises and general activity like walking, as one of the main ways to manage symptoms. Weight training for arthritis isn’t about lifting as heavy as possible. It’s about making the muscles around a joint stronger so they can support and protect it.

Stronger muscles can help joints feel more stable, make everyday tasks like stairs and getting up from a chair easier, and help you stay active for longer. Exercise also helps with weight management, which reduces the load on weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips.

How to start training with arthritis

Start lighter and simpler than you think you need to. The goal of the first few weeks is to find out what your joints tolerate, then build from there.

1. Pick a handful of basic movements: sit-to-stand from a chair, step-ups onto a low step, glute bridges, wall or bench press-ups and seated or band rows.
2. Do 2-3 sets of 8-12 controlled reps, stopping with a few reps still in reserve.
3. Train two or three times a week, with a day between sessions to see how your joints respond.
4. Add low-impact cardio such as walking, cycling or swimming on other days.

If knees are your main issue, our guide to knee strengthening exercises goes into more detail.

Simple pain rules

Some discomfort while training with arthritis is common and doesn’t usually mean you’re causing damage. A widely used approach is to rate your pain from 0 to 10:

• 0-3 out of 10 during exercise is generally acceptable.
• 4-5 out of 10 means ease off: reduce the load, the range or the reps.
• Above 5, or sharp pain, stop that exercise and try a different version.
• The next day, your joint should feel no worse than usual. If it’s more painful or swollen, do a bit less next time.

It’s normal to have good days and bad days. On a bad day, lighter work or gentle movement is usually better than doing nothing. Keeping a simple training diary, noting what you did and how the joint felt the next morning, makes it much easier to spot patterns and choose the right load.

Warming up matters more

Stiff joints usually loosen with movement. Spend 5-10 minutes warming up before strength work: a few minutes on a bike or a brisk walk, then gentle versions of the exercises you’re about to do. Many people with arthritis find their first set feels stiff and the later sets feel much better.

Adapting exercises around sore joints

Almost every exercise has a version that suits your joints. Some common swaps:

• Squats hurt your knees? Squat to a higher box, reduce the depth or try a leg press with a short range.
• Lunges too much? Use split squats holding a support, or step-ups onto a low step.
• Sore hands or wrists? Use thicker handles, straps, machines or press-ups on fists or handles instead of flat palms.
• Stiff in the morning? Train later in the day and spend a few extra minutes warming up.

Slower tempos and pauses can make an exercise harder without adding heavy weight, which suits many people with arthritis.

Inflammatory arthritis and flares

Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis are different from osteoarthritis because the immune system is involved. Exercise is still usually encouraged, but timing matters. During a flare, joints may be hot, swollen and very painful, and your rheumatology team may advise rest or very gentle movement for those joints. Follow their advice, and build back up gradually once the flare settles.

How a personal trainer can help

A good trainer won’t diagnose or treat your arthritis, but can help you train around it safely: picking the right exercises, adjusting the load on bad days and progressing steadily. Our injury and pain-aware personal training works alongside advice from your GP or physio, and our article on safe personal training explains how we screen and plan for health conditions. If you’re over 40 and starting out, our guide to personal training over 40 is a useful next read, and our training programme page explains how sessions are structured.

Want this coached 1-to-1? We adapt every exercise around your joints and your GP or physio’s advice. Book a free consultation at our Archway studio.

Frequently asked questions

Is weight lifting good for arthritis?

For most people with osteoarthritis, yes. The NHS and Versus Arthritis recommend strengthening exercise because stronger muscles help support and protect the joints. Start light and build up gradually.

What exercises should I avoid with arthritis?

There is no single list, as it depends on which joints are affected. Avoid anything that causes sharp pain or leaves the joint more painful and swollen the next day, and use an easier variation instead.

Can exercise make arthritis worse?

Sensible, gradually progressed exercise is unlikely to make osteoarthritis worse and usually helps. Some mild discomfort is normal, but pain that keeps increasing is a sign to reduce the load and speak to your GP or physio.

Should I exercise during a rheumatoid arthritis flare?

Follow your rheumatology team’s advice. During a flare, affected joints often need rest or very gentle movement, and you can build back up once it settles.

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