When it comes to fitness, many people tend to get hooked on the sensation of pain—the more it hurts, the better it feels. This often leads to the misconceptions mentioned above. However, most pain during workouts stems from incorrect form. It's your body's warning signal, urging you to make adjustments. So today, let's address the root cause by correcting these seven most common exercise mistakes and say goodbye to pain!

1. Lower back pain from sculpting your obliques?

Any ab exercise done lying down will cause lower back pain if your back isn't flat on the floor!

Cause of pain

The main reason for pain is that the supine position with your back off the ground causes your lumbar spine to arch upward. This positions the vertebrae as the fulcrum for your lower body, compressing the lumbar spine and triggering pain.

Solutions

If keeping your lower back flat is impossible, try these alternatives:

1. Elevate your legs for leg raises or crunches. Resting your legs on a chair allows your lower back to curve more naturally.
2. Stretch before training. Focus on stretching the front thigh (quadriceps), hip flexors (iliacus), and back muscles.
3. Exhale and engage your core. A protruding abdomen prevents full lumbar contact. Before starting the movement, exhale to partially empty your abdomen, drawing in your belly and ribs. This relaxes the spine, allowing it to flatten against the floor.

If contact is still unattainable, place a firm support under your lower back—avoid soft items like pillows!

2. Knee Pain During Glute Training?

Causes of Pain

If pain occurs, check for these issues:

1)Weight centered on forefeet, heels lifted or tending to lift;

2)Squatting by bending knees only, without sitting back through hips;

3)Abs and core not engaged, causing pelvic instability during descent.

Solution

How to fix it? Diligently practice every movement in the “Squat Basics” course to develop the habit of moving your hips back first during squats. Engage your powerful glutes to share the load off your knees, and the pain will disappear.

3. Neck pain during ab rips?

This pain is arguably the most common among fitness beginners.

Causes of Pain

The root causes are:

1. Insufficient abdominal strength forces you to rely on neck muscles to lift your head, tricking yourself into completing the curl.
2. Excessively long sets—like doing crunches for 2 minutes straight—overwhelm the neck muscles. For beginners, even a 1-minute set might be too long.

Solutions

Addressing the root causes makes resolution straightforward. Try these three approaches:

1. Shorten each set duration to ensure proper form before neck fatigue sets in.
2. Forcefully tilt your head back to counteract your hands, using the upward pressure to prevent downward head movement.
3. Lie flat while gripping two corners of a yoga mat. Pull your head up with your hands during the crunch—this method is guaranteed to work!

4.Wrist pain during push-ups?

Causes of Pain

Sagging lower back and relaxed shoulders shift your center of gravity downward. Weight meant for your feet transfers to your hands, increasing wrist strain—of course it hurts!

Solutions

1. Correct Form: Maintain a straight body like a plank during push-ups. Avoid arching your lower back. Keep your upper arms tucked close to your armpits to engage your shoulders before lowering.
2. Use Equipment: Push-up stands allow your wrists to support your weight in a more natural position, reducing pressure. Wrist wraps also help distribute the load.
3. Build wrist strength. Women often have weaker wrists, which can be a limiting factor. Training is simple: assume a push-up position and gently shift your body in small movements (forward, backward, left, right) to apply slight pressure to your wrists. Engage your wrist muscles to resist this pressure. Note: Avoid any discomfort or pain.

5. Struggling with back sculpting?

Causes of Pain

Three common training habits trigger headaches: 1. Frequent breath-holding 2. Lowering your head below heart level during exertion 3. Tensing neck muscles

Many practitioners exhibit all three issues during back exercises. Breath-holding occurs because the body can't arch without it, while neck tension arises from compensating with head lifts or turns when the core fails to engage.

This form of training fails to effectively engage the back muscles.

Solution

It's acceptable if you can't fully lift your body—simply tighten your back muscles and slightly lift your shoulders off the ground.

Additionally, if you experience lower back pain while lying prone on a yoga mat, press your thighs firmly against the mat and lift your torso. This should significantly alleviate discomfort.

6. Lower back pain during plank exercises?

A proper plank requires supporting your body flat like a board with hands and feet—sagging your lower back or sticking out your hips doesn't count.

Cause of Pain

Lower back pain is triggered by sagging your lower back.

Sagging means your abdomen protrudes, preventing your abs from engaging. Instead, your lower back muscles compensate for the abs' lack of effort—this is called “lower back muscle compensation.” Prolonged holding in this position causes lower back pain.

Solution

A proper plank requires engaging your core to keep your back neutral. You should feel strong abdominal tension. If the effort shifts to your lower back, stop immediately—longer isn’t better here.

7. Should you train if muscles ache the next day?

When starting fitness or a new workout routine, muscle soreness the next day is common. Whether to train again depends on specific circumstances:

1. If your whole body aches, rest well...
2. If localized pain is excruciating and affects daily activities, rest decisively.
3. If pain occurs only during exertion but not during joint movement, it's likely delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)—a normal phenomenon. The first few sessions of a new program often feel more intense, with soreness gradually decreasing over time. In this case, switch to different muscle groups the next day to avoid the sore areas. For example, if your chest is sore, avoid shoulder exercises the next day since chest soreness can affect shoulder activation. Opt for leg training instead.
4. Only mild discomfort? This is common and won't affect your training—stick to your original plan.

In short, if post-workout soreness leaves you feeling stuck, remember it's your body's warning signal. Identifying the cause and addressing it is the best approach!