Workout Tip - Learn to Listen to Your Body

Nowadays, there are a hundred and one ways to track and measure all kinds of body-stats. Almost everyone you meet in a gym has a heart-rate monitor and a professionally planned workout-log, at the very least. Not that they always use them, but they definitely have them...

In all this, it's easy to forget that your body still gives you the most subtle and most important kind of feedback before, during and after your workouts. In particular, it tells how far you can push yourself.

Many people make the mistake of either never approaching their limits or pushing themselves too hard. Basically, there are two types of people: Those who tend to be "lazy" and those who tend to over-do it.

If you belong into the "lazy" category, then you probably quickly find excuses for not working out today or for not pushing yourself. You may have planned to do three sets, but you're only doing one because of some reason or other.

If you're an over-doer, on the other hand, you probably have "tough guy syndrome". You feel like you need to be tough and that suffering is just a part of progress. You feel like you couldn't forgive yourself for skipping a workout and you have a lot of negative self-talk that pops into your head at any sign of weakness or laziness.

In both cases, you need two things:

1. Someone who can tell you which type you are.
The problem is that we can't ourselves tell which type we tend to be. You need someone who can objectively and truthfully tell you which type you are. Ask a friend or your trainer and believe their answer.

2. Learn to distinguish between two types of pain.
Pain is a part of working out, to a certain extent. However, there are two different kinds of pain. There's the kind of pain that's worse in your head than in your body. The kind of pain that makes you want to stop because sitting on a couch is more comfortable than doing another repetition. The kind where your muscles burn, but still work.

Then there's the "deep pain". This is the kind that goes beyond just a burning sensation and should not be ignored. This is the kind of pain where your body is truly telling you to take it down a notch and give yourself some rest.

If you've been exercising for a while, I have no doubt you know about both these types of pain. The key is to be honest to yourself. Don't be a tough-guy and try to push past the "deep pain". That will only get you injured (believe me, I've made my fair share of stupid mistakes like this...). On the other hand, don't be a wuss and stop training before you've reached your limits. Burning muscles are part of the deal.

At the end of the day it comes down to being honest with yourself and being conscious of what's really going on. Pay attention and learn to listen to your body. You'll make more progress this way, that's for sure.

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