MYTHBUSTING: No pain - no gain

Have you heard this phrase before? Believed/believe it to be true? Let's break this phrase down.

Pain is defined as physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury.

Okay-so what causes strength gains? The American College of Sports Medicine concludes strength is gained when using resistance that requires maximum or near maximum tension development with few repetitions.

Pain should NOT be used as an indicator of maximum tension. A 2022 cross sectional study evaluated 200 participants enjoyment and perceived intensity related to exercise. The results revealed that when participants perceived the intensity of the exercise to be too much and/or they were not enjoying the exercise they were more likely to not continue to exercise or be successful in strength gains in the future.

A great way to monitor the efficacy of an exercise routine or activity is to see what percentage of it are you able to enjoy WITHOUT pain! This is a major principle of physical therapy and a goal for every single patient-that they can participate in activities and exercise without experiencing pain.

SO-let's stop using pain as a predictor of your success, instead use it as an alarm button that something isn't right.

Listen for even more info on our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bell-moody/episodes/41--MYTHBUSTING-No-pain--no-gain-e2334p9