There is a kind of discomfort that produces progress, and a kind that simply produces a sore shoulder and a fortnight off. Telling them apart is one of the most useful skills anyone training in their fifties, sixties or seventies can develop, and it is a large part of what I coach in the studio.
Productive discomfort
- Hard work in the moment that still leaves you fit for the rest of your day and a normal night's sleep.
- A session you would happily do again on Friday without talking yourself into it.
- Weight and time that move up in small steps you barely notice month to month.
Unproductive discomfort
- Sharp or localised pain, particularly in a joint.
- Soreness heavy enough to cancel the next two sessions.
- Training that reliably worsens your sleep or your mood.
The practical rule I use with clients is simple: pick the level of difficulty you could still be doing in three months. Almost nobody over 50 regrets training slightly conservatively across a decade. Plenty of people lose months to a fortnight of enthusiasm.
Adaptation comes from repeated exposure, not from one heroic session you talk about for a year.
One of the advantages of a private personal training studio in Reigate rather than a busy commercial gym is that nobody is watching, nobody is competing with you, and the load is chosen for the body you have today. Discomfort stays productive because someone is judging it with you.
- Overcome
- Mindset