Line Between Pushing Yourself for Fitness and Injury

annepage

I've seen a lot of "fitness quotes" about pushing one's self harder and pushing through pain to achieve fitness. At the same time, there's the idea that one should not over exert themselves because that could lead to injury. Then there's the whole, "already injured but need to make sure the rest of the body isn't neglected while letting the injury heal" thing.

Are you pro "pushing yourself" regardless? How do you find your limits without injury? Is this a balance most people struggle with? Just wondering what people's take on these ideas are.

KelliW_runner

I would look at the symptoms of overtraining and use those as a guide. Soreness is normal but sharp pains are not and would suggest stopping before pushing through a sharp pain and having an injury sideline you. If you are really concerned about this, suggest you consult a trainer for an initial assessment of your strength and mobility. Then find a good plan to start and gradually add (endurance, distance, weight, whatever it is you're looking to do).

If at any point you are compromising form to complete something, not a good sign and could lead to injury.

Capt_Apollo

in my opinion,most people need to learn to push themselves past the mental part, not the physical part.

annepage

in my opinion,most people need to learn to push themselves past the mental part, not the physical part.

Hadn't thought about that part. I'd assumed it was just the physical, but this makes a lot more sense.

Capt_Apollo

in my opinion,most people need to learn to push themselves past the mental part, not the physical part.

Hadn't thought about that part. I'd assumed it was just the physical, but this makes a lot more sense.

for me, this is no more apparent then when i run. i always reach some landmark where i know how far my house is, and i kinda start whispering to myself things like "home is right there!! you ran far enough!! dude, just stop and walk." it's this voice that i have to learn to squash.

Sarauk2sf

in my opinion,most people need to learn to push themselves past the mental part, not the physical part.

Hadn't thought about that part. I'd assumed it was just the physical, but this makes a lot more sense.

for me, this is no more apparent then when i run. i always reach some landmark where i know how far my house is, and i kinda start whispering to myself things like "home is right there!! you ran far enough!! dude, just stop and walk." it's this voice that i have to learn to squash.

I agree with this. A lot of limitations we set on ourselves are done by our minds, not our bodies. I am not saying you should ignore your body push yours through an injury to the extent that you injure yourself, but often out minds tell us to not do something or to give up when our bodies are totally capable.

vinceb143

in my opinion,most people need to learn to push themselves past the mental part, not the physical part.

That's an excellent point and I never looked at it quite that way. I think that for me my body will not lie to me about when it's time to quit.

My mind will play all kinds of games however. lol

annepage

You guys are all right. I usually ignore my body and keep going. I think this is what has lead to some mental blocks that I have to now take down but with caution. I never realized there was going to be a change from being able to run as a kid/teen to trying to exercise with an adult body where rest days are needed. Go figure.

sarahc001

in my opinion,most people need to learn to push themselves past the mental part, not the physical part.

Hadn't thought about that part. I'd assumed it was just the physical, but this makes a lot more sense.

for me, this is no more apparent then when i run. i always reach some landmark where i know how far my house is, and i kinda start whispering to myself things like "home is right there!! you ran far enough!! dude, just stop and walk." it's this voice that i have to learn to squash.

I have the opposite problem- I tend to ignore pain on my runs. Had to lift my left leg into my car for a few days after my first 20 mile run two weeks ago (hip flexor just stopped working.) ALMOST recovered before the following week, where I dropped down to 18mi (in pain by mile 2.) Tomorrow I have a planned 14 miles, and KT tape IS MY BEST (non MFP) friend. Still some ROM issues, but I figure 14 won't be a problem. Love the recovery weeks!

But seriously, I do try to minimize injury by wearing compression tights and socks (knock on wood- no knee issues since I started wearing the tights, achilles issue went away with socks) and religiously taking ice baths after my long runs:

http://www.runnersworld.com/health/ice-baths-cold-therapy

The toughest part of any training is mental, and I would never advise pushing though real pain (what I advise and what I do are two different things.) However if you can break through the mental barriers you will find that your body is capable of some pretty incredible things!