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Distinguish 'good' pain from 'bad'Date: 18.12.2006
Posted by: Anabolic Info Team United States
Q: You ran an article in which you asserted that "no pain, no gain" was "one of the most inane sayings ever mouthed." If you are talking about joint, tendon or muscle pain, you are correct. But what most exercise gurus mean by that phrase is the fatigue brought on by exercise stress. Mild to moderate fatigue is a good thing. The body has to be stressed to achieve fitness.
A: By "no pain, no gain" being a cliche that can get people into serious trouble, I meant that anyone with an injury should not play in spite of the injury. I also meant that playing when sick is another invitation to irreparable harm.
I didn't mean the muscle soreness that comes from challenging the body. That is mostly good.
During any exercise routine, muscles begin to hurt. This kind of hurt goes away in a few minutes with rest and isn't a warning to stop exercising.
Muscle pain and stiffness that come on the day after exercising at a greater than usual intensity is an expected consequence of hard work. It's OK to continue to exercise when in this kind of pain, but it should be at a lesser level.
Muscle pain that begins 48 hours after exercise is a different kind of muscle injury, a slightly more serious kind. The insulating tissues around muscles and muscle fibers themselves have been pummeled, and they need a rest. They should be exercised at a lower level, and it can take them a week to recover fully.
Q I am 18 and into bodybuilding, which I've been doing for three years. I have achieved some success, but not the success I want and not the success I see others have gotten. I know many of them are on steroids.
I am considering trying them too. I would like the truth: Are they really dangerous? Do they really work?
A Muscle-building (anabolic) steroids are male hormones. They have no place in athletics. They really do work. They produce rapid gains in muscle growth.
They are dangerous. They cause breast growth in men and breast shrinkage in women. They shrivel the testicles. They might enlarge the prostate gland. They cause acne and hair loss. They can weaken tendons. They're reputed to cause heartbeat abnormalities.
They lead to cardiovascular problems. Recently, it was shown that a group of muscle-building-steroid users, at young ages, had a buildup of calcium in their heart arteries, which is a signal that those arteries are likely to clog up and obstruct blood flow to heart muscle.
You don't want to use these steroids.
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