No pain, no gain?

On May 1^st Caree Risover wrote on her blog about the pain she suffered when overdoing work in her garden, without stretching. “I spend all day yesterday digging, lifting and bending in the garden but I totally overlooked stretching off afterwards.”

I and many others have been in her position, but after reading her post, I got to thinking about the adage that became part of the lexicon back in the 80s “No pain, no gain.” Many people who want to get into shape say this to justify the pain they endure to become fit.

When I was coaching back in the 80s and 90s I used the expression to motivate the student-athletes I worked with both during games and workouts.  It was not until I retired that I discovered the myth that if your muscles aren't experiencing pain, then you must not be working hard enough is not true.

Pain is the brain's way of telling your body to halt its activity and become aware of correcting the pain - not to keep going, so exercising through the pain, once it is felt, is bad for you.

Pain isn't the only way to measure the success of a workout. Pain is the body warning the brain that something might be going wrong. Professional athletes are coached to know their limits, helping to avoid excess on joints and muscles to minimize the risk of serious injury.

Physical pain is a response our brains send to our bodies to cease activity and evaluate for injury. Even slight discomfort needs to be analyzed and assessed, not ignored.

There is a line between the right pain felt when working out to build muscles and suffering from an injury. If the sensation continues, or swelling occurs, seek medical help immediately.

Regular exercise promotes muscle development and can positively contribute to cognitive and mental health, which is vital for an ageing population.

It's essential during workouts to use the correct form when lifting weights and avoid

You don’t have to experience pain to know you’ve reached your limit. When posture and technique become compromised due to fatigue, it’s time to give it a rest and ignore the adage “no pain, no gain” it is wrong.