“No pain, no gain!”
Some of us have tried saying this in our workouts or our jobs to get through a tough moment. It probably worked and we kept using it, or it failed us horribly that we never used it again.
When it comes to health and fitness, I want to clarify that pain should never be part of exercising. This is usually confused with the “burn” in exercise, and I will explain the difference.
I want to debunk this saying while giving us a better understanding of the process. The hope is to develop better mindful knowledge for healthy progress in our fitness.
Pain in exercise
We can describe pain as a sharp sensation that we feel when we’re exercising.
If we feel uncomfortable with any movement we’re doing and have an intense, sharp feeling in any joint or muscle, we’re most likely experiencing pain.
It’s important to stop the exercise when there’s pain and highly recommended to see a doctor if necessary.
Pain is not something to push through. There is no gain in pushing through pain, and we can further injury ourselves if we try to continue working out through it.
The “burn” during exercise
The burning sensation has to do with muscle fatigue during exercise. Fatigue is the inability to maintain our strength and speed to do something (i.e., force and power output).
In terms of exercise, we’re slowing down because we’re tired and that “burn” in the muscles is overwhelming us.
The “burn” involves the buildup of hydrogen ions (H+) and inorganic phosphate (Pi) that accumulate within the cells during exercise. High concentrations of both will affect our ability to generate force. (see Qin and colleagues, 2017)
In simple terms, we’re not going to be able to lift weight or run farther for long if we’re feeling the intense “burn” in exercise. Things inside our bodies are lowering those chances as our muscles get tired.
There is a level of discomfort, but it’s not excessive or lasting like an injury can be.
We just need to take a break for a minute or so, and the “burn” will go away and can continue our workout. We can push pass this feeling, which most people do to progress in their goals of strength and fitness.
The “burn” after exercise
Muscle soreness is the sensation that comes after exercising. The soreness is caused by microtears in the muscles that need time to heal.
There is also a delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) that can occur a day or two after the workout, which can last several days afterwards depending on the intensity of our workout. (see Cheung and colleagues (2003)
Less intense, less soreness.
More intense, more soreness.
There is a level of discomfort from this “burn”, but it will heal with proper rest and nutrition.
Side note, we don’t need to be extremely sore to know we had a good workout. Extreme soreness would focus on healing the muscles from excess damage rather than emphasizing muscle growth/adaptation like we want it to.
It’s all about finding the right balance!
Why know the difference between pain and “burn” sensations?
Like I said, there’s no gain if we’re feeling pain. Knowing the difference between the two will help us decide if we should stop exercising or take a few minutes to catch our breath.
It’s not worth running if we’ve already pulled a hamstring!
Summary
Pain is sharp, intense, and can be caused by an injury that may need to be seen by a medical professional.
The “burn” during exercise needs a few minutes to settle for it to go away.
The “burn” after exercise needs time to heal, and it usually doesn’t require medical attention.
“Pain, no gain!” We can probably change the original saying to this one.
I have provided references below for some information that was used above. Feel free to look up the sources if you’d like to get more in-depth information.
Remember to check with a medical provider before starting a new exercise program and/or making life-changing decisions on health and fitness.
If you have questions, feel free to contact me here.
I hope this was helpful!
— Alex, M.S.
Sources
Cheung, K., Hume, P., & Maxwell, L. (2003). Delayed onset muscle soreness: Treatment strategies and performance factors. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N. Z.), 33 (2), 145-164.
Qin, Z., Wan, J. J., Sun, Y., Wang, P. Y., & Liu, X. (2017). Muscle fatigue: General understanding and treatment. Experimental and Molecular Medicine, 49, 1-11.