No Pain, No Gain?

Often emblazoned on the walls of training studios and gyms, it’s a mantra most of us are familiar with. It seems to be an unwritten rule that athletes are expected to have a higher pain tolerance than those not involved in sport, and to some extent, this may well be the case. However, when is training through the pain detrimental to athletes?

Pain is an important construct for athletes for a couple of reasons:

1) It serves as a warning of impending or already present trauma

2) It serves as an informative function, alerting athletes that they may have reached their level of optimal load

For many athletes, ignoring pain sensations in the body is perceived as demonstrating both physical and mental strength, with athletes as young as 8 years old saying “if you give up and start to cry it means that you are weak.” Other athletes have won medals despite carrying serious injuries, like Justyna Kowalczyk, who won an Olympic Gold Medal, despite having fractured her foot. So, when is it okay to train and compete through pain, and when does it become dangerous?

It is important to acknowledge that when taking part in sport or physical activity, most people experience some level of discomfort or perceived slight pain and pushing through this pain is unlikely to cause much harm, however, strong pain sensations are usually indicative that the muscles are not yet ready for that range of motion, and the exercise should be adjusted instead of the pain being ignored. It may be more beneficial to adjust exercises and short-term goals, rather than risking a long-term injury. It is also possible to increase pain tolerance to allow athletes to train compete comfortably despite experiencing some pain sensations.

How do athletes increase their pain tolerance to allow them to compete at a higher level, despite pain and discomfort?

There are a number of mental skills which can be implemented to increase pain tolerance and allow athletes to compete while suffering from minor pain and discomfort. Unlike pain sensation, which is conditioned by somatic factors (i.e., to do with the body), pain tolerance is dependant on psychological factors (e.g., concentrating on the pain) and by practicing mental skills including self-talk, visualisation and mindfulness, athletes can train themselves to have a higher tolerance of pain, making them more resistant to unpleasant sensations when training and competing, thus giving them the edge over their competitors. A higher pain tolerance allows them to train and compete with the inevitable pain associated with sport in a safe and comfortable manner.

Remember, ignoring pain is never recommended, but using mental skills training to become more tolerant of pain can lead to higher performance success.