Pickleball is a fun, social way to stay active after 60. But can it replace strength and flexibility training? Learn the benefits, limitations, and potential risks of playing pickleball as you get older.
The Benefits of Pickleball
Pickleball can be great for many different reasons, but there are three key benefits that I believe are at the top of the list for women over 60. These three aren't in any particular order, and each can have greater value for different people.
Benefit #1: Pickleball can be great for cardio
After 60, going for a brisk walk every day may start to feel less exciting as the years pass. By all means, brisk walking is wonderful, but some people find it becomes a bit monotonous. This is where pickleball comes in.
Pickleball has the potential to be very good for cardiovascular health because your body has to move in different directions throughout the game, making your heart, lungs, and muscles work. Unlike walking, where you're typically moving at a fairly consistent pace, pickleball requires you to stop, start, and quickly change directions.
In fact, a study published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity found that older adults playing pickleball spent more than 70% of their playing time with their heart rates in moderate to vigorous exercise ranges. That's a meaningful amount of cardiovascular activity from something many people simply enjoy doing!
If you play doubles, 2-on-2, you'll typically cover less ground than playing 1-on-1, but both can provide excellent cardiovascular benefits. For someone just starting pickleball, I would encourage playing doubles first. You'll have less of the court to cover, which can make it easier to get comfortable with the different movements your body will experience.
Benefit #2: Pickleball can be helpful for maintaining a healthy weight
While pickleball alone isn't necessarily going to lead to significant weight loss, it can absolutely help someone maintain a healthy weight, especially if they're playing two or three times per week.
A typical game of pickleball played to 11 points lasts approximately 15 to 25 minutes, although this varies depending on the players and how competitive the game becomes. If you're playing several games each time you visit the courts, that could easily add up to an hour or more of physical activity.
And while healthy eating plays a major role in maintaining a healthy weight, regular physical activity is also important. Pickleball can be a great way to increase how much you move throughout the week without feeling like you're forcing yourself to exercise.
For someone who enjoys the game and plays consistently, this can be another way to help maintain a healthy weight as they get older.
Benefit #3: Pickleball can be great for socializing
Many of my clients share how important it's been to make friends at my personal training studio. When we first opened A50 Personal Training, I never considered that one of the greatest benefits of our studio would be the amazing community of women who have become friends over the years, but it certainly has been.
Pickleball can provide a very similar benefit for many women over 60. It can become a weekly opportunity to gather, connect, and laugh with new and old friends. And because pickleball is typically played with other people, there's a natural social element that you don't always get from exercising on your own.
While this benefit doesn't always get the attention that cardiovascular health or weight management receives, I believe it's just as important for many people. Having something enjoyable to look forward to each week, especially something that involves both physical activity and friendships, can make it much easier to stay active consistently.
The Potential Downsides of Pickleball
Like any sport, pickleball has some potential downsides. By no means do I share these as reasons not to play. I personally think pickleball is a wonderful sport for a lot of people, but it's important to understand some of the physical demands and risks that come with playing, especially after 60.
Downside #1: Many pickleball injuries involve adults over 60
The injury statistics surrounding pickleball are worth paying attention to, particularly for older adults.
A study published in Sports Health in 2025 estimated that approximately 24,500 pickleball-related injuries resulted in emergency room visits across the United States in 2023. The researchers also found that nearly 74% of the estimated emergency room injuries between 2014 and 2023 involved adults ages 60 to 79. Falls were a particularly important cause of injury among older players.
That's a lot of injuries and trips to the emergency room. Does this mean everyone should avoid playing or starting pickleball? Absolutely not.
It's also important to understand that pickleball has grown tremendously in popularity, which means more people are playing. More injuries being reported doesn't necessarily mean the sport is becoming more dangerous. And there are certainly many people who have played for years without experiencing a significant injury.
But it does mean we should understand that pickleball isn't without risk, especially for someone who hasn't exercised regularly in years.
Think about what happens during a typical game. You're moving sideways, quickly stopping and starting, reaching for balls, and sometimes moving backward to make a shot. These are all movements that require a certain amount of strength, flexibility, and control of your body.
For someone who hasn't been working on these areas of fitness, the demands of pickleball can be more challenging than they might expect.
Downside #2: Pickleball isn't a replacement for strength training after 60
As I mentioned above, pickleball can be excellent for cardio and can even help someone maintain a healthy weight. But where it falls short is providing the same benefits as a well-structured strength training program.
Sure, playing pickleball regularly can improve some areas of strength, particularly in your legs. But it doesn't provide the same full-body strength benefits you'd receive from a program specifically designed to strengthen your muscles.
Strength is arguably one of the most important components of fitness after 60 because it helps strengthen your muscles and bones while supporting your joints and making everyday activities easier. The CDC recommends that adults 65 and older perform exercises that strengthen all major muscle groups at least twice per week, along with cardiovascular and balance activities.
Pickleball simply doesn't provide that same well-rounded approach to strength training. You're primarily using certain muscles and repeating many of the same movements throughout a game, rather than strengthening your entire body through a variety of different exercises.
For someone who wants to enjoy pickleball or another sport for years to come, I would argue that a well-structured strength training program is one of the most important things they can do.
Think about how much your legs have to work when you quickly change directions or bend down to reach a ball. Stronger legs, hips, and core muscles can help you better handle those movements. And while strength training can't guarantee you won't get injured, improving your strength can help prepare your body for the physical demands of playing sports.
I often tell my clients that a well-structured strength training program should be the foundation that you can add other activities to, whether that's pickleball, golf, hiking, or simply keeping up with your grandchildren.
If pickleball or another sport is something you enjoy, strength training can help you continue doing it for years to come.
Downside #3: Pickleball isn't a replacement for flexibility training after 60
The other area of fitness that pickleball alone won't adequately address is flexibility. As we get older, our muscles and joints can naturally become stiffer, especially if we're not regularly moving through a full range of motion.
And while pickleball can certainly help keep people moving, it doesn't necessarily provide enough of the right movements to significantly improve flexibility throughout the body.
Think about the demands of reaching down for a low ball or turning quickly to hit a shot. Your hips, ankles, shoulders, and back all need to move comfortably to perform these movements.
After 60, I believe it's important to work on becoming more flexible as well as stronger. Both are important for maintaining your physical abilities and helping your body handle activities like pickleball as you get older.
Final Thoughts
To summarize, pickleball is a wonderful sport for many people over 60. It provides cardiovascular benefits, opportunities to socialize, and another enjoyable way to stay active. But like other sports, it also requires a fair amount of strength and flexibility to handle the physical demands of playing.
While no one can guarantee that someone won't get injured, improving your strength and flexibility can better prepare your body for sports like pickleball. And the benefits go well beyond sports. These are the same physical abilities that help you keep up with family, travel, garden, and continue doing the things you enjoy as you get older.
For those who want to try pickleball, I would recommend easing into it. Start with a short, easy game of doubles and see how your body feels afterward. There's no need to play several games your first time out. Slowly increase how long and how often you play, allowing your body time to get used to the different movements and physical demands of the sport.
If you live in the South Hills and want to play this fall or winter, I would recommend checking out LevelUp Pickleball Club, a newer indoor facility on Mayview Road near South Fayette. For full transparency, I haven't personally been there yet, but I've heard women at my personal training studio talking about it. They have indoor courts and even offer beginner instruction for those who have never played before, which could make it a great place to start as our weather gets colder.
Whether you decide to play pickleball or not, the most important thing is continuing to work on your strength and flexibility as you get older. The stronger and more capable your body becomes, the more opportunities you'll have to enjoy the activities you love.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Zawodniak is the Co-founder of A50 Personal Training, the first personal training studio in the South Hills built exclusively to serve women over 50. With nearly two decades of experience in the fitness industry, Jason noticed early in his career that women over 50 were consistently underserved — showing up to gyms where they felt out of place, unsure of what to do, and afraid of getting hurt. After hearing those same stories from his own clients year after year, he made a decision: in 2017, he opened A50 to create the program he knew this demographic deserved. Today, Jason specializes in helping women over 50 build the strength and flexibility they need to stay active, prevent injury, and keep up with the people and activities they love most.