Pain will stop you in your tracks. It makes you sit up and take notice. Hello, I’m here. Remember me? Oh yes, I remember.
13 days ago, I had double hernia surgery performed near my private place. Since then, I’ve been having several conversations with pain. One’s where pain talks and I don’t listen, and one’s when I talk, and pain laughs in my face.
Neither is fun.
Since the surgery, every cough, sneeze, and step sends a reminder through the surgical site. It’s a stark reminder that the whole body is connected.
Often, pain is a signal to stop, but at other times, it’s time to have a conversation to get to the bottom of it. Let’s explore this in the context of exercise.
A Pain Conversation
One client considered whether to train after a series of health issues caused major discomfort. Then I texted, ” What’s your pain level out of 10?. If it’s a 3 and below, we’re good; anything above, let’s skip.”
My client texted 5, so no training. Another client came to a training session with preexisting joint pain. Rather than shutting it down, we had a conversation about recent activities. Then my client pinpointed something they had done differently that may have caused it.
Once we figured out the reason, my client sailed through the session with flying colors. One conversation is a signal to stop; the other required more digging. If you’re able to converse with discomfort, you’ll know whether to stop or go.
Similar situations happen during training. The twinge felt during the warm-up. Or knee pain during a split squat or a pinch in your shoulder while benching. Often, in our heads, we go to the worst-case scenario.
Usually, two things happen: we call it a day, or we ignore it and go again, hoping the pain goes away. But after you feel it and before making any decisions, have a pain conversation. Are you swearing the Lord’s name under your breath and dreading another descent into another split squat? Then it’s a great idea to consider another squat variation.
What about if you stop short of where it causes you pain? Are you able to do it pain-free then? Awareness and open conversations help prevent worst-case-scenario thoughts.
Rather than stopping, reducing your range of motion, or switching to another variation, and reducing the load are all options. But it begs the question, how can you tell the difference between the usual exercise discomfort and something more serious?
Pain Conversation Prompts
Some lifters have a hard time distinguishing normal exercise discomfort from pain that warrants a conversation.
Normal training discomfort feels something like:
· A burning in the working muscle
· General muscular fatigue or heaviness due to a buildup of lactic acid
· Discomfort that subsides quickly when the set ends
If you’re pushing it, these sensations are expected because lifting weights doesn’t tickle. Although it seems obvious, it’s important to make the distinction. I often have to explain to clients that these feelings are normal. Typically, they seek any excuse to get out of it.
But what pain during a set is a signal to stop? Stop the set when the sensation is:
· Sharp, stabbing, or electric
· Located in a joint rather than the muscle
· Happens all of a sudden rather than gradually increasing
· Hearing a pop, snap, giving way, or loss of strength
· Producing numbness, tingling, or pain radiating down a limb
Except for the joint pain point, where you can change the range of motion or exercise variation, no pain conversation is required. You just stop.
While lowering myself from a chin-up 10 years ago, something I have done many times before, I felt intense discomfort in my left triceps. I’d torn my medial triceps muscle, something that still impacts me today.
Wrapping Up
My friend, Dr. Bo Babenko, likes to say that pain is a change request. At times, that request requires a conversation to understand what’s happening; other times, the answer is obvious. But being aware is what will keep you safe and healthy for the long haul.
That is what we all want from exercise.