5 Ways I Forget My Pain at the Gym

If you workout, whether at FXB or another gym or even in your basement, then I’m sure you’ve had moments of pain. Both physical and mental. If you’re like me, then you’ve had moments of wanting to drop to the ground and remain immobile for at least 20 minutes.

So how do I get through those moments? Below are my top 5 gym pain coping methods.

The Curl

When I feel as if I can’t lift the band another rep, or that I’m going to drop before the end of the count, I try to save the game by calling in the lip. My upper lip does this funny curl, turning my mouth into a snarl. For some reason this usually only occurs on upper body day. It’s as if my lip thinks there’s a string attached from it to the band/bar, and if it pulls up into a curl it will help out my arms. If someone understands the psychology for why this happens, bring it. In case you need to see what The Curl looks like, here you go (photo credit to #Protector).

The Bounce

Again, this usually only happens on upper body day—probably because my legs are too busy working on lower body day to bounce. The Bounce starts when I near the point of breaking, at least during an exercise that doesn’t require me to step on the band. I shift from one foot to the other, with a bit of a bounce in between. I know muscle failure is imminent when The Bounce is accompanied by The Curl . . .

Name That Sweat Puddle

Did you ever play “Name That Cloud” as a kid? The one where you look at the shape of a cloud and make up something that it looks like? This is the same concept, only with the drops of sweat that form below me on the mat. If I’m in a plank and think that I’m about to drop, I look at my puddle of liquid awesome and try to figure out what shape it’s trying to make. One day it was a big smiley face. No kidding. I wanted to smack it.

My Happy Place

Often when I’m running low on energy, hitting that Level 10, I’ll let my mind wander to its happy place. This is where I allow my mind to forget that I’m in a gym, pushing my body to its limits. I can usually get to this happy place faster when the playlist pipes out some 80s rap. The downside to this coping method is that it often causes me to lose track of what I’m supposed to be doing. I’ll still be throwing my triple right rounds, only to pull out of my happy place and find everyone else is onto their left side. Oops. And no, I won’t tell you where my happy place is . . . you’re not invited!! But you're welcome to find your own happy place.

Plotting

Yes, my last coping method is letting my mind conduct research for my instructor posts.

Share how you cope with gym pain, other than what I've listed here . . . because I know some of you can relate to a few items on this list (remember, there are mirrors and I can see your curl and bounce).