Getting Beyond the Pain

I can remember a time when I felt THE worst pain in my muscles I had ever felt.  Most of the time whenever I would exercise the pain would not show up until the following day – after that good night’s sleep.  This was the first and only time I had felt this type of pain only about an hour or two after the activity.  The cause…a piece of rehabilitation equipment called a Biodex.

For anyone who doesn’t know, the type of exercise that creates the soreness is called a negative contraction.  Most contractions in muscles cause the muscle to shorten. A negative contraction is where the muscle is contracted and is actually being forced to lengthen.

When I was being shown how this piece of rehabilitation equipment works, like a dummy, I climbed up on the chair.  The feature I was being shown was that I had to pull back when the device was in one position – then the machine would push out while I was trying to hold it.  Thus, elongating my hamstring muscle group, while contracted. Then, when the leg was straight, I had to kick out.  The machine, then, would pull my leg back.  Thus elongating my quadriceps muscle group.

Doing these about ten times created this unbelievable soreness.  I had a hard time walking up stairs that evening…it was almost unbearable!  That brings us to this week’s quote…

The man who can drive himself further, once the effort gets painful is the one who will win.  ~Roger Bannister

I have been in the midst of fighting through pain, even if I didn’t receive first place when it was all said and done.  However, this type of pain is not always about muscular pain, or the like.  Maybe it is pain to keep going with your job, with being a parent, with being a spouse, to keep going through high school, or to continue with any commitment.

A winner isn’t always defined as a person who comes in first.  A winner can be that in character.  They can be the hero that allows something great to happen.

Fight through the pains in life…and you’ll come out a winner!