Can You Lift Weights With MS?

Written by Hallie Levine
Medically Reviewed by Shruthi N, MD on September 03, 2025
8 min read

If you have multiple sclerosis, you may find it hard to stay active. Motor issues, fatigue, pain, and heat sensitivity can all make it more difficult to move.

But exercise is important for people with MS, both for overall health and to help them maintain muscle strength. While aerobic exercise such as walking is a must, resistance training is also key, says Herbert Karpatkin, PT, DSc, a neurologic physical therapist and associate professor of physical therapy at Hunter College in New York City. Yet many people with MS shy away from the use of weights. “They worry weight training may make symptoms worse, or won’t be safe,” explains Karpatkin.

Here’s some reassurance that weight training is effective and safe. Women with MS who did a 16-week resistance training program saw significant improvements in muscle strength, according to a 2025 study published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. “Much of the weakness that occurs in MS isn’t due to the disease, but is caused by patients who unconsciously limit their movement,” says Karpatkin. “That’s good news, and helps to explain why so many of them respond well to weight training programs.”

It’s recommended that all adults aged 18-64 with multiple sclerosis who have mild to moderate disability do strength training exercises for all five major muscle groups, twice a week.

Here’s a closer look at lifting weights with multiple sclerosis — the benefits, how to get started, and other tips to make sure your workouts are as effective and safe as possible.

There are a few benefits of lifting weights when you have MS:

It strengthens muscles. “One of the key features of multiple sclerosis is muscle weakness, especially in the lower body,” says Robert Motl, PhD, professor of kinesiology and nutrition at the College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago. Weight training, particularly weight training that focuses on your lower body and core, will make it easier for you to do everyday activities such as walking, going up and down stairs, and getting in and out of a car. 

It boosts brain health. One study found that people with MS who lifted weights for 24 weeks had an increase in brain cortical thickness compared to a control group. “This part of the brain is made up of gray matter, which houses many of your brain’s nerve cells,” says Karpatkin. 

It activates your central nervous system. Research done by Karpatkin suggests that the more weight you lift, the greater the benefits. He had patients with MS do an intensive weight training program twice a week for eight weeks. At the end of the trial, they were not only much stronger but also showed significant improvements in walking and balance. “We think that heavy lifting led to greater brain and central nervous system activation,” Karpatkin explains.

Motl recommends that weight lifting targets each of the major muscle groups. Here are some moves Motl says even a beginner can try. Try to do each exercise for 10-15 reps, then work your way up to two sets each:

Exercise: Sit to stand

Muscle groups worked: Quadriceps (the group of muscles on the front of the thigh) and hamstrings (the group of muscles on the back of the thigh)

How to do it:

  • Sit in a chair with your feet apart, hands in front of your chest.
  • Push through your feet to stand, and hold this position for a few seconds.
  • Bend your knees to sit back down.

Modifications: To make it easier, use a chair with sturdy armrests that you can push off of to help you stand up and get back down. You can also place a pillow on the chair to raise the height. To make it harder, use hand weights. 

Exercise: Calf raise

Muscle groups worked: calves

How to do it:

  • Stand with your feet about 6 inches away from a wall or chair.
  • Place your arms on the wall or chair. Make sure they are level with your chest or shoulders.
  • Slowly lift your heels off the floor until you rise fully on your toes, hold for a couple of seconds, and then lower.

Modifications: To make it easier, only lift your heels (not your toes), or do the exercise seated. To make it harder, do this exercise on a step with your heels hanging off the edge.

Exercise: Tricep dips

Muscle group worked: Triceps, the large muscles located at the back of your upper arm

How to do it:

  • Sit on the edge of a chair, your feet shoulder-width apart.
  • Place your hands on the chair’s edge.
  • Bend your elbows to lower your body. Make sure your shoulder blades are back, and your elbows are close to your body.
  • Now lift your body back to its starting position.

Modifications: To make it easier, simply bend your elbows up and down while you sit in the middle of your chair. To make it harder, sit at the edge of your chair and move your feet out.

Exercise: Shoulder raise

Muscle group worked: Shoulder muscles

How to do it:

  • Stand with a can of fruits or vegetables in each hand.
  • Slowly raise your arms in front of you, as high as you can go.
  • Hold for a moment, then slowly bring your arms down.

Modifications: To make it easier, skip the cans. To make it harder, use a set of weighted dumbbells, and gradually increase the weight as you get stronger.

Exercise: Bicep curls

Muscle group worked: Biceps, or muscles on the front of the upper arms

How to do it:

  • Hold the dumbbell with your arms out in front of you, your palms facing upward (you can use a milk jug or cans for less weight).
  • Bend your elbow so that you curl the weight up. Your elbow should stay close to your body.
  • Slowly lower the weight to your starting position.

Modifications: If a milk jug or can is too heavy, just use your body weight. You can gradually add dumbbells for more resistance as you grow stronger.

Exercise: Knee push-up

Muscle groups worked: Triceps, chest, and core

How to do it:

  • Rest your weight on your hands and knees.
  • Bend your arms and lower your torso so your chest almost touches the floor.
  • Engage your core to push up. Your hands should be just underneath your shoulders. 
  • Bend your arms down until you reach your starting position.

Modifications: If it’s too hard, you can do a wall push-up. If it’s too easy, do a full push-up from a plank position.

Here is what Karpatkin recommends to all of his patients with multiple sclerosis when they start weight training:

1. Work your weakest muscles. “Patients often instinctively focus on their stronger muscles because they feel more confident about them, but the emphasis should be on ones that are weak,” says Karpatkin. If you struggle to walk, for example, make sure you start with lower-body exercises such as squats and calf raises. 

2. Be a little eccentric. When you weight train, focus on eccentric exercises, advises Karpatkin. These moves lengthen muscles while they’re under tension. For example, bicep curls, tricep dips, squats, and push-ups. Do them slowly, too. “A lot of people with MS speed through these exercises because they’re difficult, but the slower you do them, the stronger your muscles will become,” Karpatkin explains. 

3. Take breaks. “The more breaks you take, the more work you’ll be able to do,” says Karpatkin. He recommends that you do three repetitions in a row, then rest for about 10 seconds before you continue. His research shows that patients who do that can actually lift more than patients who try to do 10-15 reps nonstop. 

4. Chill out. “A lot of my patients with multiple sclerosis assume sweating is good, but in reality, it can impact their workout since they are more sensitive to heat,” stresses Karpatkin. He recommends that you do resistance training in a cool room. And if that’s not possible, wear a cooling vest. “You should start your workout feeling at least a little uncomfortably cold,” he advises. One study found that people with MS who exercised with a cooling vest were able to walk farther and for longer than those who wore a sham vest.

5. Listen to your body. If you find that your legs seem weaker or you have trouble balancing after a weight training workout, it may be a sign that you’ve exercised too hard, says Karpatkin. Take a couple of days off, and when you return to weight training, do it at a slightly lower intensity. As your body grows stronger and adjusts to weights, you’ll be able to advance your workouts.

You can usually safely lift weights with MS, but take a break if you have a relapse. “When you have a flare of MS, your immune system is attacking your body and damaging its nerve fibers,” points out Motl. “You don’t want to put more stress on it during this time.”

Visual symptoms, such as blurred or double vision, or sensory ones, such as numbness, tingling, or burning, may make it less safe to lift weights. “Generally, I tell patients with MS to check with their neurologist and wait to get cleared by them before they start weight training again,” says Motl.

Once your symptoms go away and you resume weight training, take a couple of days to ramp up gradually, adds Motl. For example, if you did bicep curls with 10-pound weights, start with 2 pounds, and over the next couple of days, increase them until you’re back to your baseline.

One final note: Consider a check-in with a physical therapist before you start weight training. They can assess your overall body strength and come up with a targeted resistance training program, says Karpatkin. You can find a local physical therapist who has experience with MS on the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy website.