Don’t Just Feel the Burn, ENDURE the burn!
By Adam Hambrook
One of the biggest issues I see with people who are new to an exercise regime or who have little to no exercise experience (especially those weight training for the first time) is not pushing themselves hard enough. Exercise can often create a burning sensation within the muscle or muscle groups we are training and we have always been told to “feel the burn” to get a great workout.
The problem for most is that they give up when they experience that first initial burn and for those new to training I can totally understand why. First, they are following what they were told by “feeling the burn” and also it can be an extremely uncomfortable experience that the person is not used to feeling.
The burning sensation is somewhat painful and naturally we are designed to cease an activity when we experience pain to prevent serious damage or injury to that area. For example, if you place your hand on a hot stove you automatically pull your hand away to prevent damage. The difference with training is that by enduring the pain and pushing our muscles and body beyond their comfort zones that is when we really experience the best benefits of exercise. The burning sensation itself will not cause you to be severely injured or cause excessive damage, but one note of caution is to be sure technique remains solid.
So next time you are exercising and start to feel that burn and want to stop, try to push out a few more repetitions and experience an even deeper burn until technique starts to diminish. The physiological effects to your muscle development, performance as well as metabolic adaptations will be much greater than if you simply did what you were accustomed to doing.
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