Pain Training
The advent of aerobic training dominated the television programs of the 80's. There was one special marketing slogan that shook TV in 1982, that was, "No Pain, No Gain" proposed by Jane Fonda for her workout videos. That slogan was incorporated into training programs with the impression that one's fate is controlled through "The Pain Train".
The "No Pain, No Gain" slogan is still emanating through the consciousness of every gym mirror. More-so, the slogan is taking over through latest trends, incorporating
High Intensity Training (HIT) with short duration. This is due to the added benefits of the new craze of managing and controlling aging.
Before exploring pain training, first I need to distinguish types of pain. There is pain that screams out at you when you have an injury and there is pain that yells out when you reached your physical limits. That pain you experience when you have an injury should be reviewed by a professional. The type of pain that you feel tired or at your limits, for example, when you run real fast for an extended period of time is the type that is the most compelling.
Let's explore the training program that intensifies the element of workout pain.
The Pain Drain
When people started to show up in public wearing only speedos, there were exhibiting the results of weight training benefits. Apart from the awkwardness, people knew that came from the "No Pain, No Gain" era. Everyone was inspired, but they also knew showing up at the mall in speedos was not worth the hard work.
The more that media marketed exercise, workouts became a little more draining, it was much too complicated with a cagillion different programs and trainers. Specialists arose which could break down every facet of the workout to molecular levels. That developed the Pain Drain where the craze of defining one's fate through hard work almost turned into a bore.
Almost everyone avoids workout pain and only a fraction of people are motivated enough to tolerate pain to a degree of excellent achievement through competition. The issue arises when workout pain becomes such a deterrent such that it shuns people from even entering any workout program. The only way someone could motivate themselves to make it through training is by developing subservience to a higher power, such as a trainer.
Once the trainer is too costly, and the program cuts out too much of one's personal and professional time, then the value of workout pain results in drain. More so, burn out even hits those who are most motivated and specialized dealing with workout pain. Potentially those who are really good at tolerating pain in their workouts end up becoming the most dissatisfied long term with their participating even in normal simple exercises.
Training with Pain
How I train with workout pain is simple. I don't like pain and I don't need it, I'm happy and want to maintain a sense of happy (even if it is boring). It's that simple. So, then how do I develop a workout pain program? If I'm not happy when workout pain hits, then it isn't for me. But I still give it a chance to say what it has to say and wait until next training day to meet up with pain again to see what is new.
Then why do I run? Running seems to be all about pain in general.
What I like about running is that I meet up with workout pain at some point and there is no rules that I can or not slow down. I slow down, that's it. That is what makes running so unique from other sports saturated in pain.
With running, how is it that I am able to incorporate workout pain?
Running is a build up... Remember the movie Rocky where the smoker could hardly handle a run then build up to be able to finish and feel happy about it? The idea is to build up and be happy with a little pain and keep it at that level. The more intense your workout, the more time you needed to build up to that level. Over time, capabilities are increased with more to do, but workout pain is always waiting.
As for my development, I invite pain to the workout party. Once workout pain arrives, I observe it, listen to it, learn from it and then slow down and appreciate the in-between. Once workout pain is gone, I cycle through again, accept it, observe it, listen to it and learn from it. I am a suck when it comes to pain, but very active building myself up to facing it.
The main idea is that once you develop that expectation, then you'll notice that the pain you were afraid of showing up never makes it. When you are more accepting and expect workout pain to show up and let it arrive, it is not that bad. Workout pain is not that bad as as long as you don't sit there and listen to it go on and on and annoy you.
Meditation
I have taken courses on meditation, did the whole personal meditation journal for a month, wrote essays on it. I also participated in a 10 day getaway at a
Vipassana meditation camp. I have learned how to realize annoying pain, observing it, understanding it and letting it go. I did not really deal with pain, it is always the same, not fun.
Arguably, workout pain is an organic will which brings to your attention that there is something to learn.
If you learn to learn from workout pain, then you then tend to accept it as organic and real. Of course, I would recommend that you let go by not running so hard apart from meditation practice which lingers around pain. Meditation incorporates much lower impact stances such as sitting in a single place for extended periods of time, not the same as running, so that is much safer to explore pain.
What is learned most out of meditation is that all of the pain you were afraid of, keeping you from working out, is not the resulting pain you thought you would experience. Pain is different from what you anticipate. It is more sensations of tension, hot/cold, tingling, pressure... all organic senses. That workout pain you actually observe really is just trying to tell you something. Think of it as a form of communication and the talker is not making any sense and very loud. Listen to that workout pain, then figure out where it is coming from, is it an injury? is a muscle imbalanced? is it bone? are you one a sugar high and your blood is just burning? or are you simply at your limit? Take a mental note, understand it, then slow down, cool off and chill, lowering the volume of that pain... Once you do that, cycle through again and again. Your brain will like you for it and maybe your brain will be more open and happy with learning.
Technical Superiority
The idea with learning from workout pain is to learn how to improve your technical capability. If you can learn from your workout pain such that you improve your bio-mechanical movements, then the value is that you are more capable to push your limits just below the workout pain zone while maintaining superior results. That is the game you play while also listening to your body when you feel workout pain.
You need to spend some time with workout pain and focus on your technical movements. As much as you benefit to improve technically for your drills, sometimes when you feel workout pain, then all that technical capability is thrown out the door. If you find that when you are hit with workout pain and you just cannot focus such that your technical movements are faulty, then definitely take it easy. You need to develop that fine sense of workout pain along with technically refining without falling apart. This goes the same for core exercises, weight training... all of it, you need to be relaxed and smooth with the movements especially when pain is talking.
Just to blindly deal with workout pain and bounce around foolishly creates imbalances and leads to injury. The more you listen to your workout pain and chill out, the more likely you minimize imbalance and injury.
Competition Day
Now all of this talk about learning with workout pain, how does that help on competition day? When I first started running, I just went all out and drained myself. I did that because I did not have all the cool experience and built capabilities of a seasoned runner. It was a Pain Drain, being a short term, blind "No Pain, No Gain" paying dividends, but there was diminishing returns by not developing with patience.
When it comes to competition day, I still put in all my chips and tolerate the pain to try my best. However, the best performance I have had are the ones I was most prepared for. And the most prepared I was were those instances where I learned from my body, learned from my health, learned from my capabilities... and learned from workout pain.
When pain hits me during a race, if I can't be patient to listen to it and be happy with the result, then I'm just not prepared and then I let other motivators take over. If I do not have those other motivators in my pocket, then I just fall apart and get upset at my result. Whereas, if I learned from the pain of during the experience, at least I could have something other than the result to gain.
To conclude, the best way to train with pain is as follows:
- Welcome pain
- Listen to pain
- Learn from pain
- Relax and let go
As much as the "No Pain, No Gain" slogan changed the consciousness of individual pursuit, rather than looking past pain to define your fate, and rather than being afraid of pain and avoiding it, accept it head on and learn what you can from it. As they say, it is better to love pain then not to have loved at all. That doesn't mean that you have to like workout pain, stay happy!
