My friend & fellow coach Khyla and I created a piece to help you understand the pains you get vs soreness. Also lastly looking at when to push through and when not too! Check out the video we made:
❎Dull/achey pain- Normally a sign of a past injury or sensitivity to reoccurring movements. This feeling can happen when there is muscle and joint sensitivity to weather changes or increase in exercise. This is a nagging pain but pay attention to it because it is your body telling you that you need to change something.
❎Soreness vs Hurt- When you're sore, your "muscles" are a bit achy. Also, when you're sore, working out again makes the feeling go away in minutes When you're hurt, your "joints" often are what is uncomfortable and usually you actually have some pain in the body. Working out again when hurt often results in more pain.
❎Swelling- Swelling is not a pain but the result of swelling can be pain. Swelling is not always identifiable to the eye but can be deep in the tissue of your muscle resulting in a bruise like feeling! STOP exercise when this is happening because it means something may be wrong and if the pain is above a 5 on the scale and continues then you should see a doctor to medical professional.
❎Strain/Pull vs Tight- Tight muscles are overstretched muscle fibers. It's uncomfortable but not painful. You may be tempted to stretch, don't do much. To return a tight muscle back to normal, you'll need to actually use that muscle and create tension to return it to it's normal length. If you’re hamstrings are only tight, hamstring curls and deadlifts are often relieving. A strain is actually painful and creates a lot of resistance moving that muscle through a range of motion. Probable strains should be examined by a medical professional
❎Sharp/stabbing pain- This is a pain that starts somewhere and ends somewhere else. This is a HUGE indicator of a serious injury so DO NOT continue exercise until you get it checked out. It can be followed by a numbing feeling which could be anything from nerve damage, to a muscle or bone issue that can be checked through and MRI. The pain is normally debilitating and can restrict certain exercises.
❎Push Through Discomfort or Not- When you feel something off while training, this is an easy pain rating to know if you can keep going or if you should stop:
Red - Yellow - Green Rating
Red = Pain, Can't Move Well, Visibly see something wrong = Seek Help Red is often a type of strain or dislocation that occurred while training
Yellow = This exercise doesn't feel good, but changing it does ( Barbell squat vs goblet squat) = can keep working if you change the exercise or how it's done (like go from fast to slow) Yellow pain is often due to faulty form or pushing too hard while rehabbing an injury
Green = Random weird feeling that came and went = Keep pushing. Be aware but something that was a one off odd feeling is usually nothing to worry about in the moment. Be sure your form is correct. Soreness is also a green scenario