Over the last couple of weeks I’ve heard from new clients that previous exercises hurt when they did them or that they hurt while exercising and then could hardly move for days afterward.
I also had a client say that an exercise caused her pain in one of our classes.
Let’s be absolutely clear! Exercise should not hurt!!
It should not hurt during the class or specific exercise and it should not hurt after. If you can’t get up off the toilet the next day there is something wrong and you did way more than your body was ready to do. No pain no gain is not a thing. It is a myth! A huge, stinking pile of dung that is absolutely incorrect and are words that should never be spoken again.
The only person that is in control of your body is you. If your body is hurting or you aren’t comfortable doing an exercise is it up to you to say something. A good instructor can modify an exercise for you so that you can do it pain free or they can provide a different exercise you can do that won’t cause pain. They can only do this for you if you speak up and advocate for yourself. To be clear, tired muscles that are not used to exercising are not the same as actual pain. Can you tell the difference?
What happens when an exercise hurts?
A couple of things actually occur. First, your brain says “ouch” and then your body moves differently and tries to find ways for you to move that don’t hurt. It is your brains job to protect you and it will try even if you’re not lsistening to the messages your body is sending you. Usually this results in improper muscle firing patterns and overusing the wrong muscles to do an exercise. Form is key. Secondly, you’re very unlikely to continue and be consistent with any exercise that causes you pain. Sure, you may tough it out for awhile hoping that you get past the “no pain, no gain” part but typically this mindset ends in injury and a total stop of all exercise.
So what can you do?
- Say something to the instructor, preferably during the class. They can’t help you if they don’t know there is a problem.
- If you are dealing with a pain issue (knees, hips, back), you can expect a 10% increase in pain when you first begin but this should subside quickly.
- Book a private session to work through issues you may be having. It is ok to ask for help sometimes!
- If you can’t move for days after a class then go back but do less. You do not have to keep up to everyone else.
- Listen to your body while exercising. It’s a pretty smart cookie and will send you many messages if you’re willing to listen.
- If you still have pain then talk to us privately. We have many amazing people in our network of healers and we’ll help you find a fabulous professional that can meet your specific needs.
If you’re in an exercise class currently and it hurts or you can relate to this from previous experience then let us know. We’d love to help and get you on the road to enjoying exercise instead of it being a painful experience.
