Every time I worked out in my school gym, whether it be to lift or run on the treadmill I would see this sign: picture a very sweaty, muscular man, gritting his teeth taking his first steps out of the sprinting blocks. You could only imagine the explosive power and speed he was capable of. On top of the picture in white bold words was plastered the lie of all lies quoting, "Pain is weakness leaving the body." I want to tear that sign down and burn it in front of every gym manager, fitness freak, weight lifter and uninformed coach I've ever known.
PAIN IS NOT WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!!!
Let me say it again.
PAIN IS NOT WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!!!
Repeat it with me,
PAIN IS NOT WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!!!
I don't know where this saying came from or who decided that it was suddenly supposed to be this mantra all athletes chant in their heads while going through their toughest workouts, but it needs to change. The mindset that working out and training must be painful in order to make any progress is completely false. Pain is not weakness leaving the body. Pain is your body's way of telling you something is drastically wrong. It is your body's way of pressing the panic button to try to get you to stop. Trust me on this. I have ran through a broken foot, a broken leg, a torn quad, a strained hamstring and many more injuries all because I thought that the more my body hurt the harder it was working, thus the more progress I was making. If you try to exercise and it is painful you need to immediately stop. No ifs ands or buts. You need to take care of yourself. Working out is not supposed to be painful and if it is you must stop what you're doing and listen to your body. If you workout in pain you will get injured, 110% guaranteed. Just take care of yourself.
Don't get me wrong, you need to push yourself in training. That's why working out is supposed to be uncomfortable. Running 20 x 400 meters around the track is very uncomfortable, almost miserable, your legs and lungs are on fire, your arms and back start to get sore, and your calves will feel like mushy piles of unsweetened oatmeal when you're done. Going for a 14 mile long run is not a comforting experience either, you ache and fatigue, your muscles and joints are upset at the constant pounding of your feet on the ground. Lifting weights, especially for a small lean distance runner, is never fun. It's exhausting just like any type of working out. But it's not painful.
The most important thing you can ever do for yourself in life is learn the difference between "painful" and "uncomfortable." The more we learn about ourselves the easier it is to read that difference. This is applicable to everyone. We need uncomfortable things to push us to grow, whether it's physically, emotionally, or spiritually. However, pain stunts growth; it harms your body and has the exact opposite effect that discomfort has. So please, the next time someone uses the saying, "pain is weakness leaving the body," tune out, don't listen, and know that they'll probably show up to the gym injured next month.
The most important thing you can ever do for yourself in life is learn the difference between "painful" and "uncomfortable." The more we learn about ourselves the easier it is to read that difference. This is applicable to everyone. We need uncomfortable things to push us to grow, whether it's physically, emotionally, or spiritually. However, pain stunts growth; it harms your body and has the exact opposite effect that discomfort has. So please, the next time someone uses the saying, "pain is weakness leaving the body," tune out, don't listen, and know that they'll probably show up to the gym injured next month.
Train smart, my friends.
