Pain & Training
You have heard it too many times before: no pain, no gain. Unfortunately, that is almost always bad advice. As an endurance athlete, most of your training is likely to be done solo. Being able to listen to your body and know if something just doesn’t feel right and whether you should rest or push on is an important skill to develop.
So, it is imperative to understand the role of pain in your training. It can mean the difference between a PR and the ER. Here are some tips on how to distinguish the good pain from the bad, and an easy to remember moral to the story.
Be a Bad Ass! Effort-Based Pain vs Injury-Based Pain
There are two types of pain: effort-based pain and injury-based pain. You are familiar with effort-based pain: the legs are burning, lungs are on fire, the I’ve put everything I had into this workout type pain.
Effort-based pain can be identified because it usually ends shortly after the effort, is unspecific and “dull”. Moreover, effort-based pain is voluntary: you can control it by exertion and therefore stop it at will. Psychologically, effort-based pain makes you feel better when you are done. It can motivate you and give you a feeling of accomplishment. These positive emotions can inspire you and build your confidence for future performances. (Taylor & Schneider, 2005, p.110)
When you feel this type of pain, and the workout calls for it, KEEP GOING! Enduring this type of pain is Bad Ass!
Injury-based pain is the “other” kind of pain. It’s the “my knee is hurting, and I probably shouldn’t keep doing this, but I’ll just take some NSAIDs later” type pain.
Injury-based pain usually persists beyond the effort, is specific to an identified area and is typically “severe of chronic”. Psychologically, injury-based pain can demotivate you, and even cause anxiety, frustration, and a loss in confidence. (Taylor & Schneider, 2005, p.110)
When you feel this type of pain STOP! This type of pain will eventually lead to or cause further injury. Enduring this type of pain makes you a Dumbass.
The moral of the story? Be a Bad Ass, not a Dumbass.
If you do experience injury-based pain, you should STOP immediately and consult a medical professional for diagnosis and treatment. Continuing to train can cause further damage and injury that may be irreversible.
References:
Taylor, J. and Schneider, T., 2005, The Triathlete’s Guide to Mental Training. Velo Press, Boulder CO, 282 p.