In this post, we discuss whether you should train through pain and what markers to look out for to make the best decision.
Think back to a time when you’ve exercised really hard. Perhaps it was on a run, or in the gym during a particularly difficult exercise class.
You were no doubt breathing heavily and your muscles were screaming at you.
Now imagine you woke up in the middle of the night feeling like that. You’d probably call an ambulance right?
This suggests that the sensations we feel and how we interpret them is almost entirely contextual — a fact that becomes particularly important when attempting to recover from pain and injury.
So what sensations are safe to push through and which are not and require further attention?
I spend a large portion of my day assessing exactly this.
My first question to clients is always this: where do they feel this sensation they’re reporting?
Is it in or around a joint? Or is it more likely a muscle?
Pain or discomfort in or around joints
If the sensation appears to be coming from a joint and the weight they’re working with is anywhere close to challenging, we stop and reassess.
I sometimes hear people say that they feel a joint is getting tired. The target of resistance training is always the muscles. Joints themselves are not the target of fatigue and those sensations are an indication something isn’t right. Either the set up of the exercise needs adjusting, or the challenge is too great.
The exception to this rule is joints that may have osteoarthritic changes. In these cases, a light set that initially causes discomfort may improve with further sets. The key in these situations is starting conservatively.
Sensations from tendons
Sensations close to a bone and not in the belly of the target muscle are usually related to tendons. These are the structures that connect muscles to bones.
A bit like osteoarthritic joints, tendons may respond to careful loading and start to feel better after a light set or two.
If, however, the sensations don’t change, or become stronger, proceeding to increase the load may backfire. I will usually switch to another form of muscle contraction such as isometrics in this scenario, or avoid the area on this particular day.
Feedback from muscles
When a muscle is sore what does almost every health care professional tell you to do? Stretch.
Sensations from muscles are nearly always interpreted in the same way but the context is important.
If, for example, the soreness followed a bout of unaccustomed activity, or occurred during a relatively high load activity, that might suggest resting is a more appropriate response.
If, however, as is frequently the case, the soreness is more chronic in nature, carefully loading the muscle may be a more effective approach.
The best example of this and one I frequently encounter is that of the upper trapezius muscle.
Most people massage the life out of this muscle when they experience soreness on the tops of their shoulders, especially after sitting at a desk all day.
Research shows, however, that targeted strengthening can reduce neck muscle pain by around 79% over 10 weeks in office workers — compared to only a brief, minor reduction from general cardio exercise.
Whilst it might feel counterintuitive, carefully loading sore muscles is often the long-term solution.
Summary
Whenever you feel unwanted sensations from your body during a resistance training exercise, it’s worth pausing to investigate further.
If these sensations appear to be emanating from a joint or tendon, proceed with caution.
If, however, a muscle feels sore and you haven’t participated in strenuous activity in the last two days, gently loading the area may provide improvements.
As long as you approach the issue with care and use a light weight to begin with, that’s a safe starting point for most situations.
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