The words may have been printed on gym vests for decades, but is “no pain, no gain” actually true when it comes to the benefits of exercise, such as improved cardiovascular health or increased muscle mass?
“没有痛苦就没有收获”这句话可能在健身背心上印了几十年了，但说到锻炼带来的好处，比如改善心血管健康或增加肌肉量方面，这句话是真的吗？
“Not strictly,” says Dr Oly Perkin from the University of Bath’s Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism (CNEM). “A better way of putting it is that you may make more gains if you experience a bit of pain.”
“并不一定，”巴斯大学营养、运动与代谢中心的奥利·帕金博士表示。“更准确地说，如果你经历一些疼痛，可能会获得更多的收益。”
The kind of “pain” we’re talking about isn’t necessarily harmful. It’s your body’s way of signalling effort – “and more effort tends to signal more reward”. This may include a feeling of discomfort and a desire to stop if you have a racing heart or burning muscles: a stress response that evolved to regulate exertion. Perkin adds: “If exercise didn’t induce some discomfort, we’d all just do it constantly, and be fatigued.”
我们所提到的“疼痛”并不一定是有害的。这是身体发出的努力信号——“更多的努力通常意味着更多的回报”。如果你心跳加速或肌肉酸痛时，这可能包括不适和想要停止的冲动：这是一种进化而来的调节强度的压力反应。帕金补充说：“如果锻炼不引起一些不适，我们就会不断地锻炼，最终精疲力尽。”
Then there’s delayed onset muscle soreness (Doms), the ache you can feel a day or two after a workout. “It’s thought it may be a protective mechanism – your body’s way of telling you that muscle needs time to recover,” says Perkin. But your starting point matters. When you begin exercising, movement may feel more uncomfortable, but as your body adapts, you may move more efficiently or develop stronger mental resilience. Then it will feel easier, but you’ll probably still be making gains.
还有一种现象叫做延迟性肌肉酸痛，在你锻炼后的一或两天内感受到的酸痛。“人们认为可能是一种保护机制——身体在告诉你肌肉需要时间来恢复，”帕金表示。但你的起点也很重要。开始锻炼时，动作可能会让你感觉更不舒适，但随着身体的适应，你可能会动作更高效，或是培养出更强的心理韧性。之后锻炼会变得更容易，但你很可能仍在取得进步。到那时，运动会变得更轻松，但你仍然可能在不断取得进步。
Doms is also more likely to be caused by some exercises than others, no matter your level of exertion. Workouts that are new to you are more likely to trigger it, so can those, like running downhill, that cause muscles to stretch while under tension. “You don’t need to experience a lot of pain to make improvements,” says Perkin, especially if you’re starting from a low baseline. Low-impact exercise such as walking and cycling can be really effective – particularly when done for extended periods of time.
某些运动更有可能导致延迟性肌肉酸痛，而与运动强度无关。你做的新运动更有可能导致这种情况，像下坡跑这样的运动也会使肌肉在张力下被拉伸。“你不需要经历太多疼痛其实也能取得进步，”帕金指出，尤其是当你的起步基础较低时。低冲击的运动，比如步行和骑自行车，也可以非常有效——尤其是在持续较长时间的情况下。
本文节选自：The Guardian（卫报）
原文标题：Is it true that … there’s no gain without pain?
作者：Kate Lloyd
发布时间：2025.6.16
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