Training Principles When You Have Pain

Low Load · Large Safety Margin · High RIR

Every day I see people living with pain—trying to move, trying to get better, often unsure what direction is safe.

If you’ve read this far, you already know the central idea behind my approach:

Most pain is not the cause.
It is the result of reduced functional movement capacity.

And the solution follows the same logic:

We must raise functional movement capacity.

That requires a shift—
from “treating pain”
to “rebuilding the body that carries you.”

But that shift must be made carefully.

Exercise With Pain Is a Different Language

This is the most important starting point.

  • Training for healthy people

  • Training for people with pain or little experience

are not the same world.

In sports culture we often hear:

No pain, no gain.

In rehabilitation the rule is the opposite:

No pain is the gain.

When pain is present, progress comes from
staying well inside the safety zone—
not proving how much you can tolerate.

The Baseline Before Strength Training

I use simple criteria to decide when someone is ready to move from rehab → real strength work.

You should be able to:

  • Perform squat, lunge, push, and pull movements
    without increasing pain

  • Tolerate basic core exercises
    (plank, bridge, plank roll)

Once this is possible, we step into structured strength training.

Until then,
this phase is a different concept of training.

The Core Rule of Early Rehab

Stop Well Before Pain Appears

At this stage the goal is not performance.
It is conversation with your body.

RIR – Reps in Reserve

Rehab Means Leaving Plenty in the Tank

RIR asks: “How many more reps could you still do?”

Example:

  • Maximum push-ups = 10

  • Stopping at 8 → RIR 2

  • Going to failure → RIR 0

In rehab the target is:

👉 RIR around 5

It should feel like:

  • light effort

  • close to a warm-up

  • no symptom flare

You do not need to push.

“Zero Pain” Is an Ideal—Reality Is More Nuanced

For people who have lived with symptoms for years:

  • discomfort can appear with almost anything

  • the line between pain and sensation is blurry

So the key is not perfection—
but evaluation.

Using a 0–10 Pain Scale

  • 0 = no problem

  • 10 = worst pain of your life

In many cases, 1–3/10 can be monitored while continuing.

The Traffic Light Model

Green

  • Discomfort decreases during movement
    → likely safe direction

Yellow

  • 1–3/10 unchanged
    → may be acceptable
    → check the next day

Red

  • Symptoms gradually increase
    → stop immediately

The Real Answer Is Tomorrow

Rehab decisions are never based only on today.

  • Next day unchanged → generally OK

  • Next day better → correct dose

  • Next day worse → too much

If symptoms worsen,
reduce reps, load, or time next session.

This is how progress stays safe.

The Purpose of This Phase

This stage is not about:

  • being tough

  • forcing improvement

  • eliminating every sensation

It is about:

Protecting movement,
preserving function,
and building a bridge to strength.

That bridge is where From Pain to Function truly begins.