No pain, no gain is one of the most commonly used expressions in fitness and chances are just reading those words made you think about working out. Well, probably not just working out, but working out really hard. It is known that the human body must be exposed to increasingly difficult challenges (higher weights, more reps, less rest, etc.) to stimulate further gains and exercising at an easy or comfortable level will, at best, only maintain your current fitness level. As a result, people often say no pain, no gain as a way to get the point across that you need to push yourself if you really want to improve. However, is no pain, no gain really an accurate statement?
Fact or Fiction: No Pain, No Gain
This post discusses the expression no pain, no gain and explains why pushing yourself harder is not always better. Your body needs to be challenged to some degree, but you also need to include adequate recovery time in your workout routine.