Tuesday Tip: No Pain, No gain? 🤔
We’ve all heard that old adage – no pain, no gain… but is that really true?
Well yes and no!
# 1 Cardio/ Hiit Workouts
If you’re trying to lose fat or get fitter then you need to be in a calorie deficit. In order to do this you need to eat less and increase your calorie burn (through exercise and daily activity). To improve fitness you need to be increasing the cardiovascular “stress” on your body (getting your heart and lungs working harder). So you do need to be at least a little uncomfortable when you work out, for some of the time. No you don’t need to push yourself to your pain threshold but you do need to be out of breath, sweaty etc.
#2 Weights / Resistance Training
Ok so there is some truth in the phrase here – in order for your body to build more muscle you need a training stimulus that’s large enough. So you need to get out of your comfort zone, you need to be working to fatigue. This forces the body to adapt, and causes micro tears in the muscle and new muscle fibres to form. That means soreness during and possibly after a workout (Delayed onset muscle soreness – Doms). The pain is inflammation around the muscles as they heal, not the tears themselves. You can also build muscle without experiencing DOMs.
#3 Acute Pain
Acute pain during or after a workout usually reflects injury. Working out should be uncomfortable and if you are not getting to that point you may not be working enough to create the changes you seek. However, working past that point is also not beneficial, causing damage to the tissues. Achiness, soreness and fatigue are fine. Sharp, stabbing, grinding pains should be avoided.
So yes, you have to work out at a certain level that will cause changes in your body, but it’s definitely not a case of no pain no gain! If you experience DOMs after every workout then you need to reconsider your approach.
Happy Tuesday 🤗
Xx
