No Pain, NO PAIN!

In the past, there was a common saying, “No pain, no gain,” to encourage people to exercise harder and longer. I don’t hear that expression much any more. Either I’m hanging around with wiser people, or all those, “no pain, no gain” believers have been injured and changed their tune.

Whether you are stretching, lifting weights, or doing cardio routines, it is much better in the long run to aim for no pain, period! Yes, you should exert yourself to the point where you feel your muscles working and you’re getting closer to some personal goal – maybe a longer bout of exercise, a heavier weight, or more resistance on the elliptical or bicycle – BUT, not by inducing pain. If you injure yourself and have to rest up for weeks, it will negatively impact your fitness. So remember, no pain, period. That’s not to say you shouldn’t have muscle soreness after a vigorous workout, but that’s different than pain with exercise.

There are two categories of soreness that we can expect after a difficult workout. The more immediate issue relates to lactate; the second, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), occurs 24-48 hours later. For the most part, our muscles get the energy to contract during exercise by using glucose (sugar) to produce ATP – adenosine triphosphate. Lactate is a byproduct of that chemical reaction. In the past, we thought it was a ‘waste product’, but we now know that lactate itself can be used for energy by muscle cells and heart cells, although not as efficiently as other energy sources.

With gentle exercise, the lactate is used up at about the same rate as it is produced, so there is little or no accumulation. As the exercise intensifies, because different energy pathways are used more and the muscles start to depend on different (fast-twitch fibers). These adjustments result in more lactate production, to the point where it exceeds the amount of lactate that can be consumed in that period of time. Therefore, the blood level of lactate rises. Because this changes the acid level or pH in the muscles, it may cause cramping after exercise. The best way to avoid this is by cooling down at the highest level of exercise at which the lactate does not accumulate – usually a light jog or a walk. Since we have no way of measuring the level of lactate outside the laboratory, a good rule of thumb is to spend 5-10 minutes at a comfortable exercise level (say 50% of your most difficult level) after a heavy workout. This allows the muscle fibers themselves to use the lactate, and for the lactate to be distributed in the blood to other cells that use it.

Often that immediate cramping is not as noticeable as the delayed onset type, which is unrelated to lactate. You might wonder why you’re a little sore the day after exercise and maybe even more sore the following day. This is most likely due to healing of microscopic tears in the muscle fibers that occur due to weight training and musle use. In brief, there is disruption of some of the cell membranes, accumulation of calcium and certain enzymes that break down proteins. In response, there is histamine (that chemical that accounts for allergic type swelling) and fluid accumulation in the fibers, which causes the sensation of pain. The best way to avoid this kind of pain is to begin a specific type of exercise slowly over several training sessions. Fortunately, there’s a ‘repeated bout effect’, meaning that if you do the same exercise a few days later, you should not experience the same pain.

So, that was all about how to reduce muscle soreness. What about what we started out talking about – AVOIDING PAIN during a workout. Listen to your body. If it feels like you’re straining something, you may well be. Trust your body – it’s very smart! Evaluate what you’re doing and consider moving on to something different or avoiding a certain movement. If there is a trainer or physical therapist available, ask them to try to determine if it’s a problem in technique or if it’s an exercise you’d be better off not doing because of your particular issues – prior injuries, weak areas, etc.

The prolonged healing process that comes with age is actually thought to be one of the factors in post-menopausal weight gain. Injuries that at one time would have kept you away from exercise for a week or two, might take a few months to heal as you get further from your 20’s (uh – a nice way of saying you’re getting old). That is enough time to undo some of the training you’ve attained and to allow extra pounds to add up. If you’re injured, though, and your physician allows, working with a physical therapist or knowledgeable trainer can help you heal faster and allow you to do other exercises while you’re waiting.

A good warm-up probably, although not definitely, decreases injuries from exercise. As importantly, it warms up the muscles, increases the blood flow to them, and gradually increases the heart rate. This makes you feel more comfortable as you start to exercise. Have you ever wondered why you’re so short of breath when you make a dash up the stairs, when you otherwise could spend 30 minutes walking without a problem? It’s because you’re asking your heart and other muscles to “go from 0 to 60” in 1 second instead of warming it up first. A warm-up is important.

Similarly, a cool down, as we saw above, can help avoid soreness. The next few exercise entries by our trainer and budding exercise physiologist, Troy and Danielle respectively, will have more specifics about warmup and cool down routines, including the differences between dynamic and static stretches. Enjoy your workout – and remember – no pain!