Why does it feel like that?
So many of us find exercise uncomfortable, painful, and just downright unpleasant… and our preferred exercise styles often show us more about the discomfort we don’t mind than the sensations we actually like (yep - I would rather hang all of my weight off a metal pole using my elbow than run a marathon).
Quick Side Note…
Before we dive head first into the wonders of movement and its sensations, I want to recommend a book - The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson. This might feel like a slight side step, but the central premise is to strive towards a better standard of problem. When it comes to exercise, making changes, and starting new things - this means finding the sensations that are least abhorrent to us if we don’t like movement already, and building from there!
We all have different sensation preferences, styles, limits, and backgrounds. What feels OK to some will make others want to die. Some of us get the runner’s high in a big way… others not so much.
This is OK!
If you are new to movement, or are branching out, it’s OK to have preferences for the sensations you feel - Also known as interoception and described wonderfully by Colleen Jolly here.
What are the sensations we feel during movement, and what do they mean?
Breathlessness
I often have clients talk to me about panicky feelings, stress, and a big dislike of the breathlessness associated with cardio… particularly the fact that it never seems to go away no matter how much they train!
This is where the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) can help explain what we are feeling.
RPE gives us a relative measure of how hard we are working. If you and I are traveling at 10mph on a treadmill, we are both going at 10mph… but we might be working at different points in the RPE scale.
One of us might be having a lovely time, chatting away, while the other (likely to be me) is huffing, puffing, and panting… so let’s look at the chatting person vs. the puffing and panting person on our RPE scale 👇
Our treadmill-goer who is chatting away is going to be at a lower point on the RPE scale, perhaps a 3 or 4, while our out-of-puff runner will be a 7 or 8.
What happens if we bring our 3-4 RPE runner up the scale?
We’re going to dial up the speed until both of our runners are huffing and puffing. They will both be feeling it in a similar way, talking less and needing to focus more on the task at hand, but they will be traveling at different speeds.
So this is part of the fun of cardio, a 7/10 will always feel like a 7/10, even if your output changes in the course of your life. If you are getting started, work out where YOUR 3/10 and 5/10 are, and use those as your starting intervals* to build your confidence and tolerance for the breathlessness of cardio training!
Focus on the sensation and maintaining that, rather than your speed, reps, or distance to start!
*Try mixing short spells of 3/10 work with 5/10 work, using the 3/10 work to recover. Gradually increase the time of the hard work intervals, or begin working on 4/10 and 6/10 effort. The higher your effort the less time you will be able to sustain it, so don’t worry if 5 minutes of 10/10 effort seems impossible - It is!
The Burrrrn
We’ve all seen the instructors standing at the front of a class shouting “FEEL THE BURN” at some unconvinced and pained poor souls… but what is The Burn and why does it happen? (Any Star Trek Discovery fans will be utterly underwhelmed here, just as a heads up…)
For years we’ve been told it’s Lactic acid to blame as our body works after we use up the oxygen in our muscle tissues… but I’m here to bust that myth!
The Burn is caused by an increase in hydrogen ions increasing the acidity of our muscle tissues - Lactate (as opposed to Lactic acid) actually helps to delay this effect!
It can be tempting to go for The Burn every time we train as evidence we are working hard… but it’s not always the most helpful thing to measure. The burn is helpful when we are growing our muscles (hypertrophy) or working on our ability to feel which muscles are working (interoception!).
So if you’re not aiming for The Burn, what should you aim for?
This is where RPE comes in handy, it lets you measure your effort without relying on an increase of hydrogen in your muscles - result!
You can also look for progress in skills, control, range of motion, and a whole host of other movement progress indicators, without needing to feel The Burn.
Discomfort from Stretching
There are three places we can experience discomfort from stretching, so we will look at each in turn:
The muscle we are stretching
The opposing muscle to the one we are stretching
Nerviness along the line of the stretch
The Muscle we are Stretching
Before I dive into this properly, I want to say that when it comes to stretching “no pain, no gain” has no place in your training ethos! We will experience discomfort as we ask muscles to lengthen, but pain is a sign we are going too far, so ease off and go for no more than a 6/10! (Not the RPE scale, just a happy coincidence).
When we stretch we are asking our muscles to lengthen, focusing on a nice sustainable 3-5/10 level allows us to relax and breathe into our stretches. When we are maintaining a relaxing and gentle pull flexibility training becomes quite pleasant… but there are a few things that can increase the discomfort levels:
Stretching cold: Not only does this increase your injury risk, but it also makes even smaller stretches feel stiff and all-round gross. That leaves the temptation to ‘push through it’. To fix this one, take the time for a nice active warm up.
Pain and excessive discomfort: Usually caused by just pushing too far! If you are feeling impatient or frustrated, remember your body will respond better when given the time and space to do its thing!
Increases in stiffness while stretching: This can be caused by pushing too hard or bouncing and that sets off the stretch reflex. The stretch reflex protects your muscles from overstretching and is one of the many reasons I don’t recommend bouncing. If you need to move in a stretch go for gentle circles or slow bending and straightening movements.
For enjoyable stretching, listening to your body is key. Don’t push it too far, keep movements slow and steady, and give yourself a lovely active warm up!
The opposing muscle to the one we are stretching
Cramping in the opposing muscle (particularly during active flexibility training and drills) is generally a sign of tension in the system around the area you are stretching. Depending on your goals you can either foam roll or massage the cramping muscle, actively stretch it, or for the performers amongst you keep going with a smile and roll out the cramping muscle after your stretch is over!
Focus on strengthening, lengthening and relaxing both sides of the joint in question and you’ll find the cramping eases as your body adapts.
Nerviness along the line of the stretch
Not all of the unpleasant sensations when we stretch are to do with our muscles, sometimes our nerves are the limiting factor!
If you ever feel that weird pull at the back of your knees when you stretch, that is your sciatic nerve joining the party. Now, this isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a thing that our body does, but I’ll address how to work on nerve tension in a later blog - for now, though, rest assured it’s normal and you can work through these sensations too!
Foam Rolling pain & trigger points
Foam rolling doesn’t need to be painful.
There, I said it, and I stand by it!
Foam rolling (or self-myofascial release) is where we massage our muscles with rollers, balls, or peanuts to reduce tension in the muscle. The current theory is that it works by down-regulating the innervation of the muscle, allowing it to relax more.
Even though we don’t understand the mechanism, the evidence fully supports its use in your body-care routine, but sooooo many people avoid it because it hurts… if it hurts you are pressing too hard or using too firm a roller/ball.
You get results that are just as good from rolling at a 2-3/10 as you do at 6-7/10. So dial it back, take your time, and breathe into it!
DOMS
Hello Day 2 Pain, or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), the feeling you get after a heavy session, where moving is just downright awful.
DOMS is caused by microdamage in your muscles being repaired, with the level of DOMS varying depending on your fitness, your body’s conditioning for the activity, and the actual activity you are doing. The level of DOMS isn’t always the best measure of how “good” a workout was, so if you don’t feel sore the next day you don’t need to go hell for leather next time!
DOMS is particularly common after working on eccentric contractions (lowering movements), intense flexibility training, and doing a new activity that your body isn’t used to. It is a normal response but doesn’t need to be your end game.
If you are struggling with DOMS and it’s putting you off your workout, reduce the intensity and trust you can see progress without breaking your body into bits the next day!
What about the sensations you feel when recovering from an injury?
Injuries are pretty uncomfortable, I think we all know and agree on that… but when we are recovering from an injury there are a range of sensations we will feel that aren’t always bad.
There are some sensations we absolutely, under no uncertain terms want. These are pains, tearing, searing, instability, spasms, and other “that is just plain not right” feelings that tell us we need to stop. If you feel any of those head straight to jail, do not pass go, do not collect £200 and call your health professional and get booked in for an appointment ASAP.
But what about the other sensations? There are 6 steps to recovering from an injury, being mindful of your body, and getting back into feeling like yourself…
Step 1: See a medical professional
If you are injured it’s time to see your doctor/ physiotherapist/ osteopath/ chiropractor/ other health professional. They are trained to diagnose and treat your injuries, and will set you on the best direction for your recovery.
This applies for cumulative injuries too - if you’ve been ignoring that niggle get booked in today! Seeing your medical professional is going to make your life so much easier so bite the bullet and go!
Step 2: Do the exercises they give you
Your medical professional has given you a plan of action - but are you doing it?
This plan isn’t a sidetrack or inconvenience, it is now your movement priority. Take the time to plan it in the same way you would your usual workouts. Take the time to invest in your body and get consistently following their guidance.
That goes for you too, long-term-niggle-ignorers!
Step 3: Stay aware of your body after sign-off
Being told you are finished with your rehab is awesome, but it’s very rarely the end of the recovery roadshow.
It can be tempting to dive into all of the fantastic things you were doing pre-injury but prepare yourself to modify your approach and ramp things up gradually. You may experience some pain or discomfort during exercise, but not all is made equal, and being mindful of how your body feels will help you adapt in the moment.
Here is a guide to help you work through your training, look at that and see how it differs to your current tolerances/approach 👇
Step 4: Pay attention to your recovery from training
You're back to training and it feels great at the time... but how does your body feel the next day?
Your body's response to training is another important indicator of your recovery progress. DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness, or day two pain) is a part of training at times, but an increase in the symptoms and sensations related to your injury is a sign that something wasn’t quite right.
Check in with your body 24 hours after training, and use that to guide your next session! 👇
Step 5: Listen to and respond to your body
It can be tempting to soldier on regardless, but your body will tell you what it needs and listening is the best way to stay on the road to 100% function!
If you experience pain during movement, or don’t recover as expected after movement, that means you need to modify your training. This doesn’t mean admitting defeat, or that you’ll never feel OK again - it just means we need a different approach for now!
Step 6: Look after your mindset & celebrate your wins!
Injuries suck, but regaining strength, mobility and skill is awesome. Work from where you are and celebrate what you can do. You are amazing, capable and strong. This injury is an opportunity to learn more about your body and the nuances of your training!
The road to recovery is rarely linear but with some awareness of our body we can keep travelling in the right direction. Listening to the sensations in your body will give you more understanding, more control, and more confidence in your movements as you recover.
Are there other sensations you can’t explain?
This is a whistle-stop tour of some of the sensations my clients come to me and ask about, but if there’s another sensation that’s been bothering you, why not ask me about it in Fitness & Mindset Made Simple?
I’m always happy to explore new sensations and help you find out what your body is telling you while you move!
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