[ti:How Hard Should You Train?]
[al:Health & Lifestyle]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2024-10-29]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]"No pain, no gain" is an old saying in English. It means that one has to suffer or work hard in order to succeed or make progress.
[00:13.24]The expression is now often used to push people to train harder or exercise more to get good effects.
[00:22.97]But just how much pain do you have to have from weight training? 
[00:29.16]The answer depends on what you are trying to gain, fitness experts say.
[00:35.30]For years, some trainers have told people that to get the best results, they need to train "until failure."
[00:45.36]Training "until failure" means that you do an exercise until you cannot do one more repetition.
[00:54.66]Some recent studies, however, suggest training "until failure" with weights may only help some people.
[01:03.90]"If somebody wants to increase muscle mass as much as they possibly can, then training to failure is something to consider," said Michael Zourdos of Florida Atlantic University.
[01:19.55]Zourdos co-wrote a review of 55 research papers on the subject in the scientific publication Sports Medicine.
[01:29.79]Zourdos and colleagues found that lifting weights "until failure" may build bigger muscles.
[01:37.51]But training in such a way is not needed to increase strength.
[01:43.99]He said people who work out hard, but do not push themselves to exhaustion, will still likely make their health and fitness better. 
[01:55.32]"There is a difference between training for health and training for elite performance benefits," he said.
[02:03.56]For the average person simply looking to increase their fitness levels, Zourdos said it is much easier to get results.
[02:13.95]He explained people who work out regularly would benefit from an intense session that comes within five to 10 repetitions of failure.
[02:24.39]He also said "failure training" often comes at a cost. 
[02:30.08]People who train until failure might be so tired and in so much pain that they skip their next workout or two.
[02:40.13]In rare cases, extremely difficult training can even be harmful. 
[02:46.68]One example is the condition called rhabdomyolysis, where damaged muscles begin to break down, possibly causing kidney damage.
[02:58.69]James Fisher is a sport science expert and advisor in Southampton, England.
[03:05.40]He said many people are not interested in the idea of working until complete exhaustion.
[03:12.99]"What we're really talking about is how hard you should work when you go to the gym," he said.
[03:20.81]Fisher added that the idea should be understood to mean that people can spend less time in the gym - if they work hard.
[03:31.00]"If you're short on time, then you can push yourself harder, and then you don't need to work out as long," he said.
[03:39.99]Fisher explained that to increase strength, it is necessary to push your muscles to a certain level.
[03:48.24]"If you lift a weight you can easily lift ten times or more, you never really work hard enough," he said.
[03:57.36]"Now, if we increase the weight so that on the ninth and 10th rep, it feels ... hard, that will benefit your muscle..."
[04:07.05]Still, Fisher said that the best workout is "one that people will actually do," regardless of how hard they push themselves. 
[04:17.07]He said that strength training is probably the best single thing people can do for their health, quality of life and longevity.
[04:28.00]Whatever your fitness goal, Fisher said the idea of failure training can be included into your workout.
[04:36.39]People should then rest the muscle group they have trained for about two days, he said.
[04:44.06]For people who have more experience, experts suggest saving the failure training for some of the workouts, or on the last set of exercises in your session.
[04:57.08]"It's not meant to be for every person, every time they work out," Fisher said.
[05:03.92]"This is a tough way to exercise."
[05:07.92]I'm John Russell.