No Pain, No Gain?

Do you stick to the old adage “no pain, no gain?” You could be dead wrong. If you’re experiencing pain while you exercise, something isn’t right – period. Contrary to the popular saying, pain doesn’t always give way to fitness gains, and can in fact hamper your ability to perform exercises and lead to injury. You need to know the difference between good pain and this type of bad pain that could be warning you that something seriously wrong.

Pain indicates that an injury is occurring, whether it’s a minimal strain to a muscle or tendon, or a more serious tear. Even when you’re stretching, you should only be feeling mild tension and perhaps a small degree of discomfort, but never pain. Stretches should be held to the point of mild discomfort, not pain, and held for 20-30 seconds.

If you experience a sharp pain while exercising, or if the pain persists, talk to your doctor or at least a personal trainer at your gym who can help you. If you’re from the “no pain, no gain” era, you should also consider consulting with a qualified personal trainer to learn more about why pain is a bad thing and to learn how to exercise properly.  I am all for the No Pain, No Gain, but we need to be careful and learn to listen to our bodies and know when they're telling us when we feel bad pain. It can mean a big difference if a injury is caught early on and prevent more damage that could hinder you from training all together.  #LoveYourBody♡