Should I continue strength training if it hurts?

There is really no one-size-fits-all answer to this matter. The core thing is to first distinguish whether your pain is "soreness" or "pain". Choosing the right one will not only build muscle but also avoid pitfalls.

If you start to feel pain 12 to 24 hours after practicing, and you feel sore and swollen, your legs are shaking when going down the stairs, and you have to grit your teeth when you raise your hand to reach a cup, then it is basically what everyone often calls delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which is micro-damage caused by sufficient stimulation of muscle fibers and is a normal training response. Last month I squatted with a new weight of 10RM, and the next day it hurt so much that I had to hold on to a chair when I sat down. I originally planned to lie down at home for two days, but the coach took me to the gym to do 20 minutes of empty bar squats and a foam roller to relax. The soreness and swelling disappeared by almost half that night, and the pain was less when I practiced with the same weight later. This kind of pain can not only continue to practice, choose low-intensity movements of the same part to activate, but also speed up the discharge of metabolic waste and recover faster.

But if the pain feels completely different, don’t bear it. For example, you may suddenly feel a sharp stabbing pain while you are practicing, your waist may suddenly throb and ache when you perform a deadlift, your shoulder joints may click when you push your shoulders, and you may be unable to lift them. Even the pain may be accompanied by numbness and a lack of effort. Stop immediately, regardless of whether you have completed the set or whether the weight has been charged. Previously, there was a young man in our fitness group who had just been practicing for half a year. His shoulder started to hurt when he was bench pressing, but he still had to press 100kg. Finally, he tore his rotator cuff and spent half a year recovering. He even struggled to carry a two-liter Coke, which was not worth the gain.

The fitness circle is actually quite noisy about this matter now. The old-school training method believes in "no pain no gain". If you feel pain, it means your muscles are growing. You have to complete the set even if you grit your teeth.； The rehabilitation school that has been popular in the past two years also emphasizes the principle of zero pain. Whenever you feel pain during an action, stop immediately and avoid related actions at all. To be honest, both statements are a bit extreme. The former confuses muscle soreness with joint pain, which can easily turn small wear and tear into major injuries. The latter is too tight and can easily miss the window for strength breakthrough. After all, the process of muscle stimulation is accompanied by a slight tearing sensation. As long as it is not a joint or tendon pain, there is no need to be so nervous at all.

I have been practicing for almost 7 years. I have stepped on the pits of pain and recovery, and I have also had the pleasure of gritting my teeth and breaking through the weight. I feel that it is like wearing shoes to grind my feet: if it is just the socks that rub against the skin and it hurts, I can change to thicker socks and adjust my posture to continue walking.； If you keep pushing forward even though you have blisters, your feet will be so painful that you will be unable to walk in the end. Anyway, every time I feel pain, I will stop for two seconds first, feel out whether the pain is in the muscles or joints, and feel whether it is soreness or tingling. The pain will continue and the pain will stop immediately. It is easier to use than any online dogma.