Earlier last month there was a new study out by German researchers which revealed that athletes can in fact tolerate a higher level of pain than normally active people. However, pain threshold, the minimum intensity at which a stimulus is perceived as painful, did not differ in athletes and normally active people. So, we feel the pain just the same, but have the ability to handle it better.
The article goes on to state that ” Athletes are frequently exposed to unpleasant sensory experiences during their daily physical efforts, and high physical and psychological resistances must be overcome during competitions or very exhausting activities. However, athletes are forced to develop efficient pain-coping skills because of their systematic exposure to brief periods of intense pain. Moreover, the mental attitude of athletes towards pain and physical discomfort significantly differs from that of normally active people.”
This study got me thinking about us, the CrossFit athlete. Does hard training increase our pain tolerance, or do we come to the sport because we started out naturally tough? I’m not sure there is a clear answer here, but I can tell you that I have always had an unusually high tolerance for pain. And as I look to my right and to my left while at the gym, I see some seriously tough people standing beside me.
I’ve heard of people using tools like imagery, yoga, and meditation to control pain, but it is hard to find peace and serenity in the middle of a WOD! I’m curious to know if you feel your pain coping skills and/or pain tolerance has changed since starting CrossFit? Also, if you have developed pain coping skills, what are they? How do you handle the pain?
- Jeremiah M. is one TOUGH CrossFitter, 5/23/12
June 22, 2012 WOD
Practice Back Levers
Then:
Pullup x 10
Pushup x 15
Row 250m
Rest 1 minute
5 Rounds
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
When it comes to pain tolerance and mental toughness, I have been blessed. I started wrestling in high school and continued that into college. Then I got into MMA fighting for a few years. Wrestling and fighting conditioned me to believe that I could ALWAYS do just a bit more. That I couldn’t give up.
I draw on this experience all the time at our WODs at Genesis. I can always do just a bit more, one more set of pull-ups, one more 400m sprint.
Also, it really helps me to have a goal, whether it is a time goal or a rep goal. I always want to have something to shoot for before the workout starts. If we are doing a WOD that I have never done before, like we did on Wednesday, I will ask John or one of the other athletes what their goal is.
Better than yesterday!
Jeremiah
I came into CrossFit because it was such an intense activity. I think those of us who enjoy this already have a high pain tolerance. Otherwise why would we come back? Who enjoys ripping their hands to shreds just to pr on pull-ups?
I know personally, being the little sister, I was beat up regularly, so what’s a WOD in comparison? I also have the mentality of no fear. What are you afraid of? Smashing your shin? Do it then you can stop being afraid of it. So then if I can accomplish X why would I back down from Y?
Also I don’t look for peace and serenity in a WOD, I look for the opposite. I want to hit it head on and if I have someone pushing me to keep going or run faster I will always respond.
As far as coping with the pain, a lot of the times I don’t feel it until after. The moments I do ( stupid wall ball) I go somewhere else in my mind, so the exercise becomes a perfunctory motion. (Hey got me through childhood:)
I agree with the study, if we put ourselves on a regular basis in uncomfortable situations, we learn how to cope with the environment of that situation, pain being apart of that.
I’m weird though as the pain motivates me to do more, how much more can I take? Only time will tell!
I agree it takes a certain menatlity to push past your comfort level. I have played almost every sport competativly, volleyball, basketball, and softball, and that competative nature has followed me into my adulthood. I pushed myself to train for 6 mponths to climb Mt.Whitney, trained in rain or shine to cycle in 100 miler events, kayak, white water rafting, hiking, skiing, backpacking, and snowshoe backpacking in to backwood huts…..you get the picture.
All because I love pushing myself and finding new and interesting physical things to try. Crossfit has been hard, wondeful, and an interesting challenge and has motivated and stretched me in way I hadn’t before in a gym setting. I tend to have great mental toughness in long slow endurance type activities and so Crossfit has truly challenged me in the short INTENSE duration activities. I admit it is a love/hate relationship I have with the WOD’s. They make me nervous and I am using everything I have got during the WOD to keep going….then at the end, I am exhausted, drained, and oh so proud of myself. =0)