I want to know how you tell the difference between good and bad pain while working out. I've recently restarted on an exercise program of weight training for 60 min 3x a week and cardio for 60 min 5x a week.

It may seem a lot for somebody just starting but I used to be quite athletic and even at my size I can still run on the treadmill and have good form with the weights.

I felt some pain today while on the treadmill in my shin. I pushed through it and eventually it went 'numb' and I didn't notice it anymore. I am wondering now if it was just some good soreness or if I should be listening to my body and toning it down a bit when I feel that sort of pain. I also have some minor knee and elbow pain (joints locking) at times as well.

How do you tell if you should push through it or compensate for it? Thanks.

Well, I'm not an expert, and someone could have a better answer for you, here's my two cents though! I think that if it's a burning muscle your probably fine, but any sharp, sudden, or intense pains should not be ignored.

I've not personally experienced it, but have been told shin splints are not fun at all to deal with, so I'd be careful with shin pain. Maybe you need to adjust your stride a bit?

There's no such thing as good pain. And if you push through and it becomes numb, you could be doing serious damage.

You should also never lock your joints while exercising, especially if you're feeling pain when you do so.

Sore muscles and muscle tension are one thing - but pain ...
If you're feeling real pain, you need to stop.

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i agree with photochick, if its discomfort then thats fine, but for me personally if i am feeling pain i'll lower the intensity until that pain goes away

I'm not locking my joints on purpose. They've always done that..locked and 'cracked' in the elbow and knee, ever since I can remember, even as a young teenager. It's not voluntary. I don't know why it happens?

I disagree with photochick, to a certain extent.

I've experienced all sorts of aches and pains while exercising, ignored them, and haven't damaged myself as a result. This applies just to running, though.

For me, running brings about all kinds of random pains and discomfort. I've had pain in my foot, in my knee, in my shins, in my side, and so on. When it happens, I try to assess what it is I'm feeling. Is this something to be concerned about, or is my body just harmlessly protesting or adjusting to new demands?

99.9% of the time it is something I can ignore and push through without any harm. The pain does go away, and normally doesn't return the next time I am running.

If and when I do feel something to be worried about, though, I just know. I don't know why, but I just know when a certain ache or pain isn't something to ignore. That's when I stop and try to figure out what's going on, and how to fix it.

In my experience, there are some pains that are not "normal" and do signal that something is wrong. But, most of them are just "phantom" pains that I can safely ignore.

If it's a persistent, nagging pain in the same spot that gets worse over time, then I definitely know something is wrong and it's time to do something about it before I get an injury.

I know this doesn't really help you though, since I can't articulate what ones I ignore and which ones I pay attention to.