KNOW PAIN, GET GAINS
PREVENT PAIN AND STAY IN THE GAME
When it comes to training, experts are warning us to quit our “no pain, no gain” mindset. But if every little twinge stopped us, we’d never get started. Personal trainer and health journalist CASSIE WHITE tells us when to harden up.
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Always be strict with technique. If it’s not perfect, then you’re putting yourself at risk of injury. Touch base with a trainer occasionally to ensure you’re doing the right exercises for your body and goals. This is especially important if you do HIIT or are training to failure. Incorporate joint stability and mobility exercises into your sessions to increase strength in your postural muscles. Try adding them into your warm ups.
> PAIN & INJURY
TRAINING
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et’s be straight: our training sessions can put us in a world of hurt. Whether we’re grinding out that last rep at the squat rack or gasping for air in a spin class, the words “pain” and “burning” (along with a few expletives) rattle around our heads. As the old saying goes: “no pain, no gain”. But will going gung-ho every session get you to your goals, or send you to the bench? First things first, you need to know the difference between unwanted pain and muscle soreness, says exercise physiologist Alex Lawrence. “It’s pretty easy to label the discomfort of exercise as pain, but they’re not the same,” he explains. “If it’s muscle soreness you’re feeling as a result of exertion, then that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But when you’re strength training, for most people, there shouldn’t be any situation where you work through actual pain.” So when you’re mid-way through your last heavy set, totally knackered and everything feels bad, how can you tell if it’s pain or discomfort? “If you feel something during the exercise that goes away as soon as you stop, then that’s discomfort — it’s just the feeling you get when working a muscle,” explains exercise physiologist Brooke Norgate. “But if you feel something in a joint, a sharp pain, burning pain or if it’s still there when you stop the exercise, that’s probably not the kind of pain you want to feel.”
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Go hard or go... to the physio? That all sounds pretty straightforward. But what about those seemingly innocuous little niggles that spring to life during a lift that don’t cause any issues, but kind of just hang around? Surely if we downed the dumbbells after every tiny twinge we’d never get anywhere? Here’s the thing: a niggle is rarely just a niggle. In fact, Lawrence warns, it may be symptomatic of a more serious issue. Which is why we really need to break out of that “no pain, no gain” mentality, he says. “If you experience a niggle, chances are there’s a reason for it. Sure, it could be that in one particular rep you’ve twisted slightly and felt a twinge. If you correct your form and it goes away, then great. “On the flipside, it could be a niggle that’s a result of poor mechanics. For example, overtraining your chest muscles and neglecting your back muscles may result in unwanted stress on your joints and the supportive tissues, which, over time, can lead to pain.” Pain points When it comes to the biggest pain points in the gym,
shoulders and the lower back are common offenders. They usually fall into one of two categories: repetitive chronic or acute pain. “Shoulder injuries are often the result of high repetitions, with poor movement quality,” says Lawrence. “People feel a slight ache or stabbing feeling, but continue to train through it over and over, until it becomes a complex injury.” Lower back injuries, on the other hand, tend to happen under high loads during big lifts, explains Norgate. “Squatting, deadlifting — it can happen in any exercise where you’re going heavy, but just don’t have sufficient lumbar-pelvic stability,” she says. “You might be really strong in your legs and glutes, but without core or joint stability to balance that out, you can easily damage your lower back if you go too heavy.” She recommends balancing out your heavy, full-body training sessions with joint stability work. “For example, it’s important to have a lot of global strength in deadlifts, but you also need a strong rotator cuff and core, otherwise you’re just muscling through it,” she explains.
“If your postural muscles are strong then you’re going to be much safer in those big moves.” Training to failure Training to failure is a hot topic right now. Whether it’s struggling to get through the entire last set, or even just your last rep, every trainer and strength forum will have an opinion. Of course, this isn’t just confusing — it can also be dangerous. The easiest way to cut through the confusion is to remember your goals, recommends Norgate. “For most of us it’s to feel good, be pain-free and make our lives easier,” she says. “If that’s the case and you’re training to a point where you lose alignment and technique, then you’re putting yourself at
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of injury and pain — and that’s not going to serve your goal.” When it comes to training, more isn’t always better — and you don’t have to be crawling out of the gym to have had a decent workout. It’s a difficult thing to wrap your head around, especially if you’re feeling guilty after the Christmas period and have thrown yourself headfirst into New Year fitness goals. “Building fitness takes time, perseverance and consistency over many programs — there’s no quick fix,” explains Lawrence. “We’ve got a need for instant gratification and in health and fitness
there’s this idea that the harder you push, the more you’ll get out of it. “But most accomplished coaches and trainers agree that you don’t need to leave the gym smashed every time. Some research actually indicates that you should finish your workout feeling better than when you started.” The DOMS dilemma If you lift weights, then you’re probably well aware of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). So what’s the verdict on training while your muscles are still throbbing after a tough session a few days earlier? “If the soreness or stiffness is impacting your ability to move efficiently, then stay away from the gym,” says Lawrence. “But if you can move freely and your movement isn’t compromised, then there’s no problem with backing up your sessions.”
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