I know, I know. I haven't posted a blog in a few weeks. A lot of things have come up, life's busy, blah blah blah.
Whatever, let's get down to it.
I want to cover a topic that's near and "dear" to me. Pain. It seems like every where I look I see posts, memes, motivational posters, etc... that all talk about pain being synonymous with getting stronger. This is, for the most part, true. However, what I don't like is when I see pain glorified. Things like "pain is weakness leaving the body", or "if it doesn't hurt you're not doing it right". I believe I understand the intention behind those sayings, but I wanted to cover it regardless. Mainly because I'm hurt right now, and as a result am taking rest days.
So when is pain "okay"? Since I'm not a doctor this will be a little tough for me to articulate without giving shoddy advice, but I'll give it the old college try. For me the only real pain from working out that I find acceptable would be delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. I won't go into a lot of detail about what DOMS is, just that it's pain as a result of microtrauma in the muscle fibers after strenuous use. Most people who have done any sort of work out routine, or participated in a distance race have experienced this the day after. The only real "preventative" measure that I've found is gradually building up your regiment like C25K, SL5x5, and other programs of their ilk do. Beyond that DOMS are just a fact of life for those of us pushing the envelope.
If that's the only pain that I deem acceptable, does that mean all other pain is unacceptable? For me, personally, I think that's an accurate statement. I can't think of another form of pain that's the result of working out that isn't preventable, or a sign that something is wrong. A joint/muscle group hurting while your lifting weights? Check your form as it may be incorrect, and lifting with incorrect form is an easy way to seriously injure yourself. Going into a workout with an injury is also unnecessarily risky unless you are under the guidance of a professional physical therapist.
What about painful things like blisters? Also preventable. In the world of running they are the result of friction. This could mean your shoes aren't the proper size, or width. It could even be something as simple as the socks you are wearing. I ended up getting a couple of pretty gnarly blisters when I participated in the Ragnar trail relay this year because the socks I wore were too thin in conjunction with my trail shoes. As a direct result my feet were sliding all around in my shoes as I hit various terrain. The rest of the event I wore the proper socks, and while the existing blisters were sore they didn't exacerbate, and no new blisters formed.
Certainly chaffing is just a part of exercising? In my opinion this is also incorrect. Being an overweight guy who runs, and lifts I am intimately familiar with chaffing. And you know what? I pretty much eliminated it by spending the extra money on really good gear. I wear compression underwear (ExOfficio), microfiber/polyester running clothes like Nike's Dri-FIT, and I use anti chafing products when, and where, necessary such as BodyGlide.
Am I contradicting myself when I state all of these forms of pain are unacceptable since they are preventable, but DOMS are "okay" even though they are acceptable? Two points; the first is that I definitely put "okay" in quotes, and the second is that DOMS are only preventable to an extent. Even with gentle ramp up to higher weights, or longer distances, DOMS will inevitably occur as the natural process of muscle tearing/rebuilding occurs, and limits are pushed. Now, if you haven't done any weight training in months, and just jump in a 250-300lbs series of squats then you will have an unnecessary level of DOMS. Assuming you didn't just straight up injure yourself the DOMS will be debilitating for at least a day.
I have a secret to share next week, so stay tuned!
Fitness Activities:
StrongLifts 5x5
Couch to 5K
Stats:
Recorded on an Ozeri Touch ZB13 Digital Scale
278.0lbs
44.8% BF
Whatever, let's get down to it.
I want to cover a topic that's near and "dear" to me. Pain. It seems like every where I look I see posts, memes, motivational posters, etc... that all talk about pain being synonymous with getting stronger. This is, for the most part, true. However, what I don't like is when I see pain glorified. Things like "pain is weakness leaving the body", or "if it doesn't hurt you're not doing it right". I believe I understand the intention behind those sayings, but I wanted to cover it regardless. Mainly because I'm hurt right now, and as a result am taking rest days.
So when is pain "okay"? Since I'm not a doctor this will be a little tough for me to articulate without giving shoddy advice, but I'll give it the old college try. For me the only real pain from working out that I find acceptable would be delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. I won't go into a lot of detail about what DOMS is, just that it's pain as a result of microtrauma in the muscle fibers after strenuous use. Most people who have done any sort of work out routine, or participated in a distance race have experienced this the day after. The only real "preventative" measure that I've found is gradually building up your regiment like C25K, SL5x5, and other programs of their ilk do. Beyond that DOMS are just a fact of life for those of us pushing the envelope.
If that's the only pain that I deem acceptable, does that mean all other pain is unacceptable? For me, personally, I think that's an accurate statement. I can't think of another form of pain that's the result of working out that isn't preventable, or a sign that something is wrong. A joint/muscle group hurting while your lifting weights? Check your form as it may be incorrect, and lifting with incorrect form is an easy way to seriously injure yourself. Going into a workout with an injury is also unnecessarily risky unless you are under the guidance of a professional physical therapist.
What about painful things like blisters? Also preventable. In the world of running they are the result of friction. This could mean your shoes aren't the proper size, or width. It could even be something as simple as the socks you are wearing. I ended up getting a couple of pretty gnarly blisters when I participated in the Ragnar trail relay this year because the socks I wore were too thin in conjunction with my trail shoes. As a direct result my feet were sliding all around in my shoes as I hit various terrain. The rest of the event I wore the proper socks, and while the existing blisters were sore they didn't exacerbate, and no new blisters formed.
Certainly chaffing is just a part of exercising? In my opinion this is also incorrect. Being an overweight guy who runs, and lifts I am intimately familiar with chaffing. And you know what? I pretty much eliminated it by spending the extra money on really good gear. I wear compression underwear (ExOfficio), microfiber/polyester running clothes like Nike's Dri-FIT, and I use anti chafing products when, and where, necessary such as BodyGlide.
Am I contradicting myself when I state all of these forms of pain are unacceptable since they are preventable, but DOMS are "okay" even though they are acceptable? Two points; the first is that I definitely put "okay" in quotes, and the second is that DOMS are only preventable to an extent. Even with gentle ramp up to higher weights, or longer distances, DOMS will inevitably occur as the natural process of muscle tearing/rebuilding occurs, and limits are pushed. Now, if you haven't done any weight training in months, and just jump in a 250-300lbs series of squats then you will have an unnecessary level of DOMS. Assuming you didn't just straight up injure yourself the DOMS will be debilitating for at least a day.
I have a secret to share next week, so stay tuned!
Fitness Activities:
StrongLifts 5x5
Couch to 5K
Stats:
Recorded on an Ozeri Touch ZB13 Digital Scale
278.0lbs
44.8% BF
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