What happens if you tolerate pain while stretching?

Many girls dream of perfect twine: both longitudinal and transverse. Stretching is their true friend and assistant in achieving this goal.

But often a person sees in front of him only the result, but not the way. And for nothing. After all, the road to the desired can be painful and traumatizing. Usually, stretching classes are held in groups, where someone gets better and someone worse. And here the student looks at her plastic fellow students, endures the pain in the muscles, without telling the coach. And then bang – and an injury.

Maria Andrianova and I figured out why you should not tolerate pain during stretching and how to learn not to chase others.

What happens to the muscles during stretching?

During such a workout, muscles lengthen and contract, developing and improving their elasticity.

Pain is an alarm signal that we receive from the nervous system, alerting us to danger. Most often it hurts in places where muscles attach to bones, in tendons. This is a bell – the muscles have reached their limit and can no longer withstand the strain. After the muscles, the load is transferred to the tendons: the very pain under the knee, which is familiar to almost everyone. Pain can also occur due to incorrect exercise technique.

If you move within the range of your capabilities, step by step teaching the nervous system amplitudes (just so it sits at the head of the table) as such pain sensations will not be.

Maria Andrianova

stretching coach

Only pleasant, sometimes pulling sensations in the range of up to 6 points on a 10-point scale are allowed. But in no way sharp, shooting or burning pain. Of course, if you are a beginner, your muscles may be a little sore in the morning, because training is stressful for them. But these sensations should pass on the first or second day after training.

Can pain be ignored?

You should pay attention to any pain and unusual sensations and in no case ignore them. In general, during the classes you should immerse yourself in your sensations and set up a dialog with your body. All signals are given in order to protect it from possible injuries.

From what kind of pain it is, at what movements it occurs, depends on the solution of the problem. In any case, it is worth telling about your sensations to the coach, and he will tell you what to do.

What will happen if you continue to pull the aching part of the body?

There will be an injury, and then a long recovery. It is the same as stretching a tourniquet, overcoming the permissible threshold of elasticity. It’ll just break. It’s also worth noting that pain can also be joint pain. And it is also very important to pay attention to this. Especially those who seek to sit on twine.

It is very easy to recognize it. Usually it appears in the hip and knee joints. It can be a clicking sensation when circular movements of the hip or a feeling of restricted movement, as if one bone is resting against another. Or knee pain when sitting in a cross twine.

Don’t chase others

Remember that stretching doesn’t like to be rushed, it’s not a race. There are no winners and losers here.

To disconnect from the desire to keep up with others, ask yourself who you are doing it for. Only the answer “for yourself” is acceptable here, any other options will not lead you to anything good.

Flexibility development depends on many factors: muscle and ligament properties, intermuscular balance, gender, emotional state, presence/absence of injury and many others. Some people will take a week to achieve results, while others will take months, and that’s normal.

Maria Andrianova

stretching coach

We compare ourselves to those about whom we know absolutely nothing. It’s just worth understanding that if you chase after someone, you are highly likely to get injured, miss the opportunity to focus on yourself and just waste time. And you won’t get any pleasure from the activity. If you compete, you should only compete with yourself to become the best version of yourself.

Do not hesitate to contact a coach

Remember that there is nothing wrong with it. Just say it like this: it hurts and makes me uncomfortable. The coach will never think you are stupid or untalented. On the contrary: it shows that you are a responsible person and are concerned about your health. After all, the main rule is to do no harm.

Maria Andrianova

stretching coach

To my great regret, many people are embarrassed to ask the trainer about anything or talk about what is bothering them. They are afraid of appearing uncomfortable and silly. It is important for the trainer to talk about these things with the students before the class starts, to build rapport with them beforehand.