No Pain No Gain? How Hard Should I Be Pushing Myself?

You’re half way through class warm-up and you’ve had enough. You’re tired, your muscles ache and your trainer’s motivational words are no longer reaching your ears.

You’ve heard the expression “no pain no gain” many times but what does it mean and when should you stop? Martial Arts & Fitness are filled with challenges and in this article, Canberra Martial Arts is going to look at how hard you should be pushing yourself. If this article sounds like you, then join the foundation program, and let us help you get balanced.

Pacing Yourself

One of the important lessons in any form of exercise is learning to pace yourself. That requires a little forethought and strategy. For example, when you run a marathon, do you start out sprinting and giving 100% of your energy or do you hold a little back to see you through? In the Martial Arts & Fitness world, the same principles apply. For example, if you have a 40 minute warm-up and you’re not taking breaks then this may be the reason why you’re quitting early.

Timed breaks can keep you moving faster in the long run. They can also prevent injury to your body. So, try a 10-second break between movements or a 30 second breathing stop midway through.

Pacing yourself also means taking rest days from your exercise. 3-5 classes per week is great but you need those rest days sprinkled in to help your body to heal and grow stronger.

How Should You Feel?

Many Martial Arts & Fitness practitioners don’t really know the difference between challenging themselves and pushing themselves too far. If exercise is new to you then you may believe you have hit your physical limits earlier than you actually have. There’s usually more gas in the tank!

Here’s a helpful checklist if you’re not sure.

It’s normal that you:

  • Feel that your heart rate is elevated
  • Are sweating or at least feel hot
  • Sometimes feel a little dizzy or sick
  • Feel an ache in your muscles
  • Feel a little discomfort or tiredness

When to stop

  • You feel pain in a certain part of your body
  • Your dizziness or sickness persists longer than a few minutes
  • Your heart rate is irregular or excessively fast
  • You experience any sharp or unexpected pains

Above all else, it’s important to understand the difference between discomfort and pain. Pushing through pain is not what we suggest and we need to help you to learn where your limits are.

Ready to start pushing yourself? Canberra Martial Arts has a Foundation Program ready and waiting for you. Join the Foundation Program and over 28 days we’ll get you on the road to fitness and better health.

Ready to start pushing yourself to succeed? The first step is getting started, one class isn’t going to be enough to get you on the road to fitness, so our Foundation Program gives you unlimited access to over 20 classes each week to find your groove. All you need to do is CLICK HERE and complete the form. Then one of our coaches will call you right away to get you started.

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