You SHOULDN'T Be In Pain While Exercising.

Today we're talking about exercise and pain.Approximate Read Time 2 minutes 47 seconds

Many people HATE exercise because of the way it feels.They don't like the discomfort of physical strain.They don't like the feeling of being hot and sweaty.They don't like being sore for a day or two after pushing themselves.Those people love it when they hear things like, "If it hurts, you're doing it wrong."At the other end of the spectrum, there are people who live for the sensation of burning muscles and the satisfaction of doing something so difficult that it pushed them to their physical and mental limits.These are the people who love saying things like, "Pain is weakness leaving the body."Here's the truth both groups are correct, but both groups are also very wrong.Let's break it down.

Pain vs. Discomfort

There's a difference between discomfort and pain.Discomfort generally leads to adaptation, and that is, after all, why you exercise in the first place. You want to improve your body, but that comes at a price. The price is effort, both physical and mental.Effort is rarely comfortable, especially if it involves both your mind and body.The great thing is that when you put forth effort, you get something back; that's the adaptation component we discussed earlier. Pain doesn't work the same way. Pain doesn't give you anything in return because it doesn't lead to adaptation; it's an alarm bell.

What is pain?

Pain is something that hurts...duh!Sort of.Here's a bit of pain science for you, don't worry; I won't go too deep here or get too nerdy.Pain happens in the brain; you don't have "pain receptors" anywhere in your body. Your nervous system collects information and then relays it to your brain. It's up to your brain to make sense of what it all means.In regards to pain, it's simply an alarm bell that tells you something needs looking into. Pain does not equal damage.Let me repeat that, PAIN DOES NOT EQUAL DAMAGE.It just means you should pay attention, and if necessary, you need to make adjustments.

How can you tell the difference?

Ok, that's all great information, but who cares if you can't tell the difference when you're experiencing it?None of this knowledge is helpful unless you know how to differentiate between pain and discomfort while you're exercising.Here are some easy parameters for people who are exercising for longevity. (If you're training for competition, these don't apply quite so cleanly, so take them with a grain of salt.)

• The uncomfortable sensations should be less than 4 on a scale of 1-10 (if you have to concentrate to not be distracted by the sensation you're probably over a 4)

• Symptoms don't stay elevated above baseline for more than 24 hours

• Symptoms should not be sharp or electric in nature (think shooting pain down a limb)

If you stick with these parameters, you'll keep yourself safe 99% of the time.

The Caveat

These apply to sensations around joints, tendons, and things that refer down a limb. If you're training hard, and you should be, you'll far exceed a 4/10 in terms of fatigue and muscle burn on a regular basis, and you'll be sore for more than 24 hours too.That means you have to use some critical thinking of your own and PAY ATTENTION.No one else can feel the sensations you're experiencing, and no one else can know exactly what you're going through at a given moment, which means it's up to you to prevent your own injuries.

That's all for today!Get out there and get moving!

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