Is Your Exercise Related Pain Hurting Your Progress?

Exercise Related Pain and Your Fitness Progression

When you’re trying to get awesome results from your workout, exercise related pain can be a huge nuisance. But is it really hurting your progress? Is it standing in your way as a barrier or is it actually a signal from your body that you’ve maxed out your efforts for a given day or muscle group? 

It’s important to understand what exercise related pain is all about and how you should interpret it as a part of your fitness goals. Our understanding of this discomfort is growing with each year, and the old motto of “no pain, no gain,” has been abandoned by many pros in favor of a much less unpleasant strategy.

Understanding Your Pain

There are certain kinds of exercise related pain that are considered to be completely harmless. You can push through them and come out even better on the other side. However, some of those pain signals are your body’s way of telling you that enough is enough. It may be an indicator of an injury risk or one that has already been sustained.

For this reason, you need to get to know what your body is trying to tell you and whether or not a pain should be ignored or placed in the spotlight. If you do experience a pain other than the typical soreness that can occur after a workout, it’s a good idea to have it looked at. Don’t simply try to walk it off. This is particularly true of a recurring pain. The longer you wait to obtain the right care for an injury, the more chronic that pain can become. It may take far longer to heal, it may heal incorrectly or it could even lead to additional forms of injury and pain.

Consider the following types of workout-related pain that you shouldn’t ignore: 

Sharp, shooting or stabbing pains – these are not normal responses to a good workout. It usually means something’s not working right. Have this type of pain checked out.

Localized pain – if the pain you’re experiencing is occurring in one very specific place, as opposed to being overall muscle soreness, it means that a particular part of your body may have been injured. Keep off it and have it checked.

Pain accompanied by swelling – swelling, also known as inflammation, is an indicator that something is wrong. It may mean a more serious issue. Inflammation is a step taken in the body’s effort to heal. It could suggest a continued or worsening injury to the area. Make an appointment with a medical professional.