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For elite athletes, strength often means power, endurance, and even pain. “When a sport is your livelihood, there’s pressure to stay in the game to keep a roof over your head,” maintains Ali Krieger, who endured broken bones; torn ligaments, including MCL and ACL injuries; and back issues on her way to two World Cup titles with the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. 

But what happens when the body starts pushing back?

In this episode of The Future You, a vodcast hosted by Richard Dorment, editorial director of Men’s Health and Women’s Health at Hearst Magazines, Krieger joins Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy and NYU Langone sports orthopedic surgeon  Michael J. Alaia, MD, for a wide-ranging conversation about redefining strength, learning to listen to your body, and how even the highest performers eventually must adapt.

Injury as a Wake-Up Call

Kenworthy, a three-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist, was only 11 or 12 when he learned just how abruptly a day on the slopes can go wrong. “I came up a little short on a jump,” he recalls. “I told my friends I broke my leg, but they didn’t believe me—they left and did another lap.” By the time ski patrol arrived and he was taken down the mountain and to a clinic, Kenworthy anticipated there was a real diagnosis. “I told the nurse, ‘I really hope it’s broken, because I’m going to be so embarrassed if it’s not.’” It was: Both his tibia and fibula were fractured.

While Kenworthy’s wake-up came early, Krieger’s was slower—but just as defining. Growing up competing against her brother in backyard soccer games, she pushed herself hard. “But it wasn’t until I turned pro that I really focused on preparing my body to compete,” she says. “That’s what allowed me to play until 39.”

Kenworthy echoed the sentiment. “We didn’t warm up. We just met at the top of the lift and started skiing,” he says. Not until he reached the Olympic level did he begin training with intention—an approach that would prove essential for long-term performance and recovery.

Even for those of us not counted among the world’s elite athletes, awareness of what’s happening to our bodies off the field is important, says Dr. Alaia. “What we’re putting into our bodies, how we’re exerting ourselves, stretching, strengthening—it’s all important,” he says.

The Trouble with Pushing Through Pain

Both athletes acknowledge a culture of pushing through pain in high-performance sports. “We would risk entire seasons to play one game,” says Krieger. Kenworthy agrees, calling out the badge of honor around playing while injured. “Even when I hit my head and got a concussion, I was like, thank God it’s not a broken bone. I can still ski.”

Dr. Alaia observes that this “no pain, no gain” mindset isn’t limited to world champions. For instance, most recreational skiing injuries happen late in the day. “You’re most likely to get hurt when you’re out there for ‘just one more run’ on wobbly legs after eight hours on the slopes,” he notes.

The key, he says, is to understand the difference between discomfort and pain—and to listen to your body. “Discomfort you can work through. Pain tells you something important.”

Strength for the Long Game

Injuries and aging eventually forced both Krieger and Kenworthy to change their approach. For Krieger, it was her calves giving out in her final season. “I realized my core wasn’t strong enough. That impacted everything.”

It’s common for training needs to evolve over time, explains Dr. Alaia, as strength and flexibility break down with aging and hormonal changes. “If you work your quads and ignore your hamstrings, or your chest but not your back, you’re setting yourself up for injury,” he says. “True strength comes from balance, from core to floor.”

People of all ages should pay attention to these targeted needs, he adds. “At every stage, it’s about how you can feel better in your body and help it perform better.”

for an insightful and inspiring discussion on feeling better in your body, at every age. Some highlights:

• when noisy knees might be normal, but pain is not
• the role of sleep and diet in conditioning your body for strength and longevity
• why “50 is the new 30” and how promising next-generation therapies could help us perform better and longer

Krieger and Kenworthy remain deeply active—and intentional. They both share new goals, from Pilates to mountain climbing, and their excitement about continuing an athletic lifestyle with a new level of awareness.

Kenworthy recently completed a 545-mile charity bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. “I still want to do things to push myself and push my body,” he says.

For media inquiries, please email News@NYULangone.org.