Perform Better Without Pain (#24)

Pain during training feels real, yet it often limits us more mentally than physically. This article delves into why we experience pain when we push ourselves and how the brain establishes boundaries long before the body is genuinely exhausted. Through research and practical examples, we illustrate how pain tolerance can be trained and how performance is affected by both physical and psychological factors. We also emphasize the risks of shortcuts like painkillers. The conclusion is that you can learn to manage and shift your pain threshold – but it requires the right type of training, patience, and a conscious strategy.

It's no surprise that athletes regularly endure more pain than those who prefer a sedentary lifestyle. Anyone who's ever tackled those threshold intervals repeatedly knows exactly what I'm talking about. Interestingly, athletes who push themselves a little harder during intense sessions (remember: hard sessions should be hard, and easy sessions should be easy) develop a better tolerance for pain. This allows them to push themselves further and benefit even more from their training.

Our brain limits our ability to strain muscles long before they reach their maximum potential. Several studies have demonstrated this by asking participants to tense a muscle as hard as possible, then increasing the muscle's force with an electrical impulse — showing that muscles can tense more than a person can achieve on their own. This clearly proves that the brain holds us back before the muscle is truly exhausted. More information and references are available in Marek Behrendt's post here.

In a widely circulated article last year from triathlete, the author highlighted a study from 2010 that examined the impact of pain relievers on cyclists' performance. Thirteen cyclists were given 1.5 grams of pain relief and then cycled at a high intensity during a progressively demanding endurance test on a stationary bike. Lactate levels, heart rate, and perceived pain were recorded. In short, the findings indicated that those who took pain relievers could push harder and maintain a higher performance level with elevated lactate levels, experiencing pain similarly to the control group. This suggests that pain relievers might support training with more "lactic acid" in the system and potentially increase your threshold more quickly.

A similar study from 2014 used the same pain relief dosage (1.5 grams) during Wingate tests, which are 30-second maximum intervals to exhaustion. Participants in this study averaged about 20 additional watts during each interval and sustained less performance loss over the eight intervals performed.

Pushing yourself harder allows you to tolerate more pain. It's pretty logical, and there's plenty of research exploring this. Just look at this meta-analysis of 899 individuals—it shows that we athletes don't experience pain as intensely as non-athletes. Our pain threshold gradually increases.

I want to emphasize the same point as the person who wrote the post on triathlete: I absolutely do NOT want you as an athlete to start popping painkillers during your threshold intervals. In these studies, the tests are conducted under controlled conditions to investigate a connection between pain and performance. The researchers have access to expert help if something happens. Painkillers have a number of side effects and should not be used more than necessary. Using painkillers during training also increases the risk of injury and can impair your recovery—which you naturally want to avoid.

Despite this, a large percentage of athletes use painkillers during both training and competition (about 60-70 percent of all long-distance runners in this 2011 study). A mix of poor preparation for the race, minor injuries, and possible cultural influences could be the reasons. But there are pill-free alternatives without these side effects.

Main rule - Your tough, gritty, sweaty, grueling, and slightly anxiety-filled sessions should truly embody these qualities. Let the hard sessions stay challenging. Whether you're tackling 4x4-minute intervals on the treadmill or giving it your all for seven minutes at a time cycling in a basement or in front of the TV in the living room, ensure these intervals remain demanding and gradually increase the intensity from session to session. Even a minor increase of 0.1 km/h on the treadmill or 1-2 watts more during cycling intervals matters. Enhancing your performance requires time, and you must allow it to take that time.

"If it were easy, everyone would do it"

• Cold/Ice: A way to distract your mind.
• Caffeine: Offers some similar effects to painkillers without the specific side effects.
• Mental training: Self-talk, visualization, and thought-stopping (SVT). Check out our sports psychology advisor Viktor Johansson here. Discover some of his tips here and reach out to him for further guidance.

Essentially, it's about detaching your mind as much as possible when things start getting challenging. I mentioned at the beginning of the article that our brains hold us back well before our muscles are truly worn out (we can have up to 70 percent of the power left). That's why we want to prevent the brain from creating doubts sooner than needed. The main work here is mental and psychological, which isn't our specialty, so we leave it to more capable experts like Viktor.

Remember – small gains from session to session add up, and over time, they often decide how high you'll stand on the podium. Persistence is key, as they say 😉.