{"id":15775,"date":"2026-03-28T00:53:41","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T17:53:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=15775"},"modified":"2026-03-28T00:53:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T17:53:41","slug":"factors-to-consider-when-training-around-pain-tony-gentilcore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=15775","title":{"rendered":"Factors to Consider When Training Around Pain \u2013 Tony Gentilcore"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Getting hurt is a drag.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s even more of a drag when you\u2019re someone who\u2019s used to being active and an injury prevents you from training consistently or prevents you from training as hard as you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s generally two approaches many people take:<\/p>\n<p>1. Complete rest.<br \/>2. Conjure up their inner Jason Bourne and grit their teeth through it.<\/p>\n<p>Neither is ideal in my opinion.<\/p>\n<p>I take the stand that injury (or training with a degree of pain &lt;\u2014 <em>sometimes<\/em>) is inevitable. As I\u2019ve jokingly (but not really) stated in the past\u2026<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u2026\u201dLifting weights isn\u2019t supposed to tickle.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Pain, pain science, and how to train around pain is a very complex and nuanced topic. This is a blog post, not a dissertation.<\/p>\n<p>To that end, today I want to take some time to discuss a few strategies on how to train around pain that don\u2019t revolve around the extremes: Sitting on the couch watching Netflix or plotting to take down Treadstone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Full Disclosure:<\/strong> Much of what I\u2019ll cover below is in Dr. Michael Mash\u2019s online resource, <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2UxoZ0h\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Barbell Rehab<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, which is currently my new spirit animal of favorite continuing education courses.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Also:<\/strong> Just as a heads up, much of what I discuss below will be covered in more detail in mine and Dean Somerset\u2019s latest IN-PERSON continuing education workshop \u2013 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/somerset-fitness.teachable.com\/p\/complete-fit-pro-blueprint\/?affcode=1527784_hxpd8pgp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">The Complete Fit Pro Blueprint<\/span> <\/a><\/strong>\u2013 coming to both Boston (June 6-7th) and Dublin (Oct 3rd-4th) later this year. More dates coming soon\u2026;o)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-460600\" src=\"https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Screenshot-2026-03-27-at-12.46.09-PM-1024x572.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"681\" height=\"380\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Screenshot-2026-03-27-at-12.46.09-PM-1024x572.png 1024w, https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Screenshot-2026-03-27-at-12.46.09-PM-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Screenshot-2026-03-27-at-12.46.09-PM-768x429.png 768w, https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Screenshot-2026-03-27-at-12.46.09-PM-1536x858.png 1536w, https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Screenshot-2026-03-27-at-12.46.09-PM.png 1884w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\"\/><\/p>\n<h2>Factors to Consider When Training Around Pain<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s begin with the definition of \u201cpain.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Pain<\/h4>\n<p>\/p\u0101n\/<\/p>\n<p><em>noun<\/em><\/p>\n<p>1. A localized or generalized unpleasant bodily sensation or complex of sensations that causes mild to severe physical discomfort and emotional distress and typically results from bodily disorder (such as injury or disease).<\/p>\n<p>2. That feeling you get when your significant other wants to talk about feelings or what your eyes see when you watch someone perform kipping pull-ups.<\/p>\n<p>More precisely we often associate pain with <em>actual<\/em> damage. However, pain doesn\u2019t always have to gravitate around that denominator.<\/p>\n<p>Pain can also be equated to a smoke alarm alerting the body that something is awry:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cHey, bicep tendon here: I think I\u2019m close to snapping, can you tone it down on the bench dips?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cHey, knee cap here: I\u2019m about to end up on the other side of the room if you don\u2019t fix your squat.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cLook out \u2013 a ninja!\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>More to the point, pain is multi-faceted and can manifest a plethora of ways, which is why it\u2019s imperative to educate people that it isn\u2019t <em>always<\/em> centered around a physical injury.<\/p>\n<p>Take for instance this cup analogy highlighted in a 2016 study from the medical journal Physiotherapy: Theory &amp; Practice titled \u201cThe clinical application of teaching people about pain\u201d by Louw, et al.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-460602\" src=\"https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Screenshot-2026-03-27-at-12.49.39-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"370\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Screenshot-2026-03-27-at-12.49.39-PM.png 602w, https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Screenshot-2026-03-27-at-12.49.39-PM-300x284.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 370px) 100vw, 370px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Pain is like a cup, and there are many factors that can fill it up.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, you can address people\u2019s pain in one of two ways:<\/p>\n<h4>1. Reduce the contents of the cup.<\/h4>\n<h4>2. Make the cup bigger (via appropriately progressed strength training)<\/h4>\n<p>As Michael addresses in <em>Barbell Rehab<\/em>, there are several ways to build a framework to train around pain that don\u2019t involve being passive, subjecting yourself to corrective exercise purgatory, or in a worse case scenario\u2026surgery.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Technique Audit<\/h3>\n<p>When someone comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.corecollectivebrookline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Core Collective<\/strong><\/span><\/a> for an assessment with me and they go into great detail on how bench pressing bothers their shoulder(s), rather than spending 30 minutes assessing how much shoulder range of motion they have, waxing poetic on the myriad of drills they can perform to improve thoracic extension, and\/or going into the weeds on diaphragmatic positional breathing mechanics I\u2019ll instead do this really out-of-the-box thing where I\u2019ll ask them to\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2026wait for it.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026wait for it.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026here it comes.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026show me their bench press.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"**Original** The Dramatic Chipmunk **Original**\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mfhBM_Yay6w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More times than not, all that\u2019s needed is a subtle technique fix on their set-up and execution of the lift itself and their shoulder hates them less almost instantly.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t to say we\u2019d ignore other factors like thoracic mobility and breathing mechanics altogether; especially of deficits exists. However, I\u2019ve found that most people are less inclined to want to light their face on fire from corrective exercise boredom if I just cut to the crux of the issue at hand.<\/p>\n<p>Their shitty technique.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Programming Audit<\/h3>\n<p>This is a point I remember Dr. Quinn Henoch hammering home when I listened to him present a few years ago.<\/p>\n<p>How often do you audit your programs?<\/p>\n<p>Has it ever occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, the reason why you (or your clients) are hurt is because you were a bit overzealous with an exercise variation \u2013 or, more commonly, you were too aggressive with loading \u2013 and that <em>that<\/em> was the culprit of your\u2019s (or their) low back pain\u2026?<\/p>\n<p>\u2026and not because your left ankle lacked two degrees of dorsiflexion, or, I don\u2019t know it was windy yesterday?<\/p>\n<p>Load management (or lack of it) is the lowest hanging fruit we often overlook.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter \" src=\"https:\/\/media1.giphy.com\/media\/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExMGxqbTU5azAydnFxbmo3c2V0MjZtdDBhd3UycDB1eXQxYW93emZwYyZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw\/XeLcgh8gT8o0F5SQ8i\/giphy.gif\" width=\"422\" height=\"317\"\/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/dumb-dummy-i-feel-XeLcgh8gT8o0F5SQ8i\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of what I mean.<\/p>\n<p>Using the same person above who\u2019s shoulder bothers them when he\/she benches: Let\u2019s say they like to bench press 1x per week, on a Monday of course.<\/p>\n<p>Like clockwork, the day after they bench, their shoulder feels like Johnny Lawrence used it for target practice with his fists. It feels like that for a few days, dissipates, and then by the time the following bench day arrives it feels better and the same cycle continues.<\/p>\n<p>A more cogent approach may be to spread out the same volume over TWO workouts rather than one.<\/p>\n<h4>Here\u2019s what they normally do:<\/h4>\n<p>Monday: Bench Press: 6\u00d75 @ 185 lb<\/p>\n<p>(Total Tonnage = 5,550 lb)<\/p>\n<h4>Here\u2019s what they should do:<\/h4>\n<p>Monday\/Thursday: Bench Press: 3\u00d75 @ 185<\/p>\n<p>(Total Tonnage = 2,775 lb) x 2<\/p>\n<p>Sweep the leg.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter \" src=\"https:\/\/media3.giphy.com\/media\/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExcmp3M3ZrbGhuYTN5ODR5dnB6bHk3cHNscGVjbDEyZWlud3l0ZGVmZiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw\/ZeF7OVZFYztxAzH30G\/giphy.gif\" width=\"373\" height=\"373\"\/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">via <a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/netflix-cobra-kai-on-netflix-ZeF7OVZFYztxAzH30G\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>3. Change Modifiable Factors<\/h3>\n<p>Pigging back on the above, when something hurts or is painful always, always, always look at volume\/load first.<\/p>\n<p>From there you can ascertain at what load does something hurt \u2013 what\u2019s the symptom threshold? Find <em>that<\/em> and when you do, train just below it to build tolerance and resiliency. The result will be twofold:<\/p>\n<p>1. You\u2019ll be encouraging an actual training effect.<\/p>\n<p>2. Eventually, you\u2019ll surpass the original symptom threshold because you forced an adaptation.<\/p>\n<p>An easy example here would be squats. If someone experiences knee pain at a certain depth \u2013 maybe at parallel or just below it \u2013 have him or her perform a box (or free) squat ABOVE that spot.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, maybe all that\u2019s needed to make the squat less painful is to change the stance width, or degree of toeing out? You can also tinker with bar position or even the tempo. The point is: Assuming we\u2019ve ruled out anything nefarious, I\u2019d rather someone keep squatting with a variation\/tweak that reduces their symptoms dramatically than omit them altogether,<\/p>\n<h3>4. An Exorcism<\/h3>\n<p>But only as a last resort.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/tonygentilcore.com\/2026\/03\/factors-to-consider-when-training-around-pain\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getting hurt is a drag. It\u2019s even more of a drag when you\u2019re someone who\u2019s used to being active and an injury prevents you from training consistently or prevents you from training as hard as you\u2019d like. There\u2019s generally two approaches many people take: 1. Complete rest.2. Conjure up their inner Jason Bourne and grit &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15775\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}