No Pain No Gain? Why That Mindset Might Be Slowing You Down
We have all heard the old saying, “no pain no gain.” It sounds tough, it sounds motivating, but it is one of the most misunderstood ideas in fitness. The truth is your body does not need constant pain to grow. It requires the right amount of challenge and the right amount of recovery. If you treat soreness, exhaustion, and grinding to failure as the only signs of progress, you are actually holding yourself back.
We have all heard the old saying, “No Pain No Gain.” It sounds tough, it sounds motivating, but it is one of the most misunderstood ideas in fitness. The truth is, your body does not need constant pain to grow. It requires the right amount of challenge and the right amount of recovery. If you treat soreness, exhaustion, and grinding to failure as the only signs of progress, you are actually holding yourself back.
This is where the Goldilocks zone comes in. Train too lightly and you will not create enough stimulus. Push too hard and you risk injury, burnout, and recovery times that stall progress. The sweet spot is training hard enough to force adaptation but not so hard that you dig yourself into a hole you cannot recover from.
Why training to failure is not always better
Research shows that taking every set to failure does not guarantee more muscle or strength. A review by Sampson and Groeller (2016) found that constant failure training often just increases fatigue and delays recovery. More pain does not always mean more gain. Think of your body like a battery. Training drains it. Recovery charges it back up. If you always run down to zero, you will not have enough energy to keep performing.
The optimal training intensity
Most research points to moderate to high intensity training, about 65 to 85 percent of your one rep max, as the sweet spot for growth. This intensity is heavy enough to recruit muscle fibers and stimulate adaptation, but not so heavy that form breaks down or recovery takes forever.
When we talk about optimal intensity, we also need to talk about how close you should get to your rep max. Research by Helms et al. (2018) and Schoenfeld et al. (2019) shows that leaving about two to three reps in reserve produces similar hypertrophy and strength gains compared to absolute failure. That means if you could grind out ten reps at a given weight, stopping around seven or eight is enough to drive adaptation.
This is especially important in compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and presses. These lifts place a heavy demand on the nervous system and connective tissue. Training them within two to three reps of your max ensures you are lifting heavy enough to build strength and muscle while still protecting your joints and allowing for consistent performance across the week. Compound lifts respond best to progressive overload applied with intensity that challenges you but still leaves a buffer for quality reps.
Schoenfeld (2010) has shown that progressive resistance training in this range is the most effective way to stimulate hypertrophy. You do not need to train to failure, but you do need to push your sets close enough to max to create tension and fatigue in the target muscles.
Recovery is where the gains happen
Muscle and strength are built outside the gym. Sleep, nutrition, hydration, and stress management all matter as much as the training itself. For example, Dattilo et al. (2011) found that inadequate sleep cuts down muscle protein synthesis and testosterone production, two major drivers of growth. Without recovery, even the perfect program will underperform.
And let’s be clear. Training every single day is not the flex people think it is. Unless you are an elite athlete with a full recovery team behind you, including physio, massage therapy, chiropractic care, contrast therapy, and nutritionists, you are simply beating your body down faster than you can rebuild it. For most of us, smart rest days are non-negotiable.
At the same time, there is a difference between a true rest day and just being lazy. Do not use recovery as an excuse to skip a workout you should be doing. That is why having a structured program or at least a rough weekly plan is so important. You will know when your body genuinely needs rest and when you are simply avoiding the work. Learn the difference, listen to your body, and hold yourself accountable. Go hard when it is time to train, then recover even harder when your body needs it.
Practical takeaways
Train for progression, not soreness
Lift heavy enough to challenge yourself
Stay within two to three reps of your max on compound lifts
Prioritize sleep and nutrition
Take real rest days, not lazy days
Final thoughts
Training smart will always beat training recklessly. The goal is not to limp out of the gym but to build strength you can carry week after week and year after year. Take your rest days seriously. They are not wasted time; they are the key to long-term growth. Know the difference between recovery and excuses. If you balance intensity with recovery, you will see more gains, reduce injury risk, and enjoy the process of getting stronger without burning out.
References
Dattilo, M., Antunes, H. K. M., Medeiros, A., et al. (2011). Sleep and muscle recovery: Endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis. Medical Hypotheses, 77(2), 220–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2011.04.017
Helms, E. R., Byrnes, R. K., Cooke, D. M., et al. (2018). RPE and RIR-based training to maximize progress. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 40(4), 47–54. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00247. PMID: 29628895; PMCID: PMC5877330.
Sampson, J. A., & Groeller, H. (2016). Is repetition failure critical for the development of muscle hypertrophy and strength? Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 26(4), 375–383. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12445
Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(10), 2857–2872. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e840f3
Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2019). Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low vs. high load resistance training: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 33(Supplement 1), S1–S18. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002200
