Rant: Messing Yourself Up in the Gym

No. If it hurts, you're doing it wrong

Above is a screenshot of an actual Instagram post I ran across. Sometimes gym-goers see injuries as badges of honor. We may think "I'm tough for going hard, and tougher ignoring the joint pain."

We DO NOT accept joint, tendon, or ligament pain. If it's sharp or stabbing, we stop. Pain we DO accept is burning in the muscle and pushing through tiredness during the workout. After that we endure delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in the upcoming days. Perfectly acceptable.

Your body WILL get the rest it wants

When we experience pain, that is the body signaling us to rest and recover. What is rest and recovery? It means getting additional high-quality sleep and reducing exertion for an evening, day, or weekend (the other side of physical activity in your life). Getting a therapeutic or deep-tissue massage to restore function and mobility is considered rest and recovery.

Your body will get the rest it wants, but YOU decide if it's going to be now with something minor, or in a month with a major (resulting in you not working out for 6+ weeks).

Eat clean. Train dirty. Rest hardcore.