How to Tell Whether You Should Push Through the Pain or Rest

author : brookechaplan
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If you’re experiencing pain, especially during training, here are some tips to assist you in deciding whether it’s best to push through or rest for a while.

We’ve all heard the slogan ‘no pain, no gain.’ in reality, this isn’t the most sound advice for a lot of reasons. Training for a triathlon is extremely stressful, and many people suffer heart attacks and other issues from overexertion and stress in the middle of a triathlon. However, every athlete knows that in order to truly succeed, one needs to be able to push through one’s limits. It can be difficult to determine whether you are pushing too hard. If you’re experiencing pain, especially during training, here are some tips to assist you in deciding whether it’s best to push through or rest for a while.


Understand Discomfort v.s. Pain


If you’re just getting into a new workout program, then you’re likely going to be experiencing some discomfort. That’s to be expected with any part of training. However, that discomfort should only be slight. Achy muscles are one thing, but when your muscles start to feel extremely sore or a movement doesn’t feel right, then it’s time to realize that what you’re experiencing is actual pain. Knowing the difference between these two is a necessity to ensure that you can best identify when to stop and when to push through. If you have been training and running for a long time, you probably have a good handle on what your body’s normal reactions are, but be sure to pay attention to the way new exercises can impact your body.


Assess Your Form


When you get used to doing a particular activity, you don’t have to think much about it. Your brain and muscles create muscle memory that instinctively just performs the activity with little thought. If you notice that your swimming form seems off, then it’s an indication that you need to step back. Get help or advice from a qualified professional or experienced triathlete to discover how to fix your form. Pain management doctors can assess your body and let you know when you are relying more on other muscles to handle the job.


Use Reason to Assess Your Activity


It’s important to note that your activity level makes a big difference in your decision. If your workout consists of alternating between walking and running then bike riding, then you know how your body feels normally. If your legs start to burn at mile two, you know that pushing through to mile three is a necessity. It will enhance your future performance. However, if you’re trying to push through mile seven when you’re only used to three, then slow to a halt when you feel pain. You need to keep your activity level within reason and don’t try to make major jumps as your body won’t be able to properly handle it. The key to triathlons is endurance, not speed. Slowly bump up your training regimen, and don’t try to do it all at once.


When in Doubt Ask


If you regularly train for a triathlon, simply ask your trainer or medical staff member if you have worries. They’ll be able to assess you on a physical level and ask you questions. They’ll have the ultimate knowledge that will help you to determine whether you should throw in the towel for that training session or whether you should keep pushing forward. This is especially important if you have dealt with injuries in the past.


Injuries can be extremely detrimental to your athletic performance. While discomfort is not unusual to feel when you’re training the body to get better, pain should be an alert from your body to stop. You should take caution in determining what’s best for your body by following the steps above.

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date: November 29, 2019

brookechaplan

Nature, hiking, health blogging