No pain, plenty of gain: Why taking it easy can give JUST as good results
Want to get those chiseled abs or perky butt? Well, you will have to toil for hours in the gym.
Or so, that’s what we’ve been told for decades.
The motivational adage “no pain, no gain” echoes the mindset of bodybuilders in spit and sawdust gyms of old, when it was believed that the only way to transform your body was to run into a wall of pain.
But over the years, that “myth has been debunked,” says Dr Darren Player, a lecturer in musculoskeletal bioengineering at University College London.
It turns out that at the end of a workout, people can still walk while making progress, experts said.
But how much pain do we actually have to endure to see results?
Here, MailOnline unfolds the science behind ‘no pain, no gain’ and explains how taking it easy can still yield results.
To improve your strength or your ability to run farther or faster, you have to push yourself further than before, which can feel uncomfortable. But according to personal trainers and scientists, that pain doesn’t have to be unbearable
Some kind of pain is inevitable
Unfortunately, it is true that you have to experience some form of pain to see any improvement.
To get stronger or run further, you’ll have to push yourself more than before – by lifting stronger weights or cramming another 5k – which will probably feel off-putting.
This is because most improvements in athletic performance are due to increasing muscle strength.
During a strenuous workout, the muscles used suffer small tears, which the body then repairs and adapts to better handle the activity next time.
There is also a phycological factor to the saying ‘no pain, no gain’. For many of us to feel like we’ve gotten the most out of our gym session, we want our muscles to hurt
This process, known medically as hypertrophy, increases the size of the muscles and causes some pain.
Matt Roberts, a personal trainer who has worked with Naomi Campbell, Mel C and Adele, said, “We have to work the muscles hard enough to get that rip and regrowth. It’s the tearing and growing that has a certain amount of discomfort.’
Dr. Player said, “You have to give that new stimulus.
“If someone who has never done anything—except sitting and standing from a chair—does a little more, they’ll see some improvement.
“That could mean in that scenario that they actually feel some pain.”
You can take it easy
To get fitter, you don’t necessarily have to push yourself until you can barely breathe or walk.
Instead, it can also work to take small steps that require less effort, experts say.
Dr. Player said: ‘For most people it’s as simple as, if you do more today than you did yesterday, or the last session, then that’s really enough.
“You don’t have to push yourself to the point where you can’t walk.”
Instead, a long walk or bike ride that raises heart rate over a longer period of time — but less dramatically — can still produce results and improve your fitness while being less strenuous.
If you just want to run, swim, or bike at a steady pace to just stay healthy, you can avoid the pain part altogether. But if your goal is to have the stamina to make it through an ultra-marathon, you have to endure a certain level of pain
Mr Roberts said this approach falls into the category of endurance cardio, where a muscle group is trained for a longer period of time, which is ‘more pain free’.
This is in contrast to endurance cardio — performing an exercise at near maximum capacity for a shorter amount of time — where you need to be pushed to a “higher level,” he added.
Going for a brisk walk, which causes heavier breathing than at rest, is “a really bare minimum requirement” to get fitter.
He said, ‘In [this] case, there is no need for no pain, no gain. There is still gain, but there is no pain.’
It depends on your goal
Ultimately, the amount of effort and pain you have to endure depends on your goal.
Those who want to complete a long distance run will have to endure some soreness to stimulate their muscles as well as their cardiovascular capacity.
But those who just want to enjoy running, swimming or cycling at a steady pace to stay healthy can dodge pain altogether, Roberts said.
He said, “If your goal is to run a marathon, there’s pain involved. If you just want to be able to run for fun and stay healthy and fit, there isn’t much pain involved.
To maintain your general well-being, personal trainer Matt Roberts simply recommends taking it easy with endurance training and says doing a brisk walk is “an absolute minimum requirement.”
“If your goal is to gain muscle mass and grow, then there is definitely pain involved.
“But if your goal is to keep looking like you’re somewhat athletic and stay strong, there’s discomfort rather than pain.”
For example, people with more ambitious goals to build muscle mass need to push themselves “to the point of failure”—when they can no longer complete an exercise or with a higher load—according to Dr. player.
You could really enjoy it
The motivational saying “no pain, no gain” implies that getting fitter is only associated with unpleasant sensations.
But during a workout, our body does produce a chemical that allows us to really enjoy the pain: endorphins.
Two parts of the brain – the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland – produce the “feel good” hormones in response to pain or stress. Endorphins act as a natural pain reliever and create a sense of general well-being.
Exercise also triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters produced in the brain, also released during exercise and boosting mood.
Mr Roberts said these mechanisms mean people enjoy being tested and pushed through practice.
“When you leave the gym or you’ve been running, people walk away feeling better,” he added.