You are mid-training, you feel good … and then Something tweak.
A shoulder strip. A strange pinch in your hip. A movement that suddenly feels out.
Now you are stuck the moment we all fear:
“Do I have to push through here … or stop?”
As a coach (and someone who ignored those signals far too often), I can tell you – how you react here, makes the difference.
Push blindly and risk a setback … or make a smart adjustment and keep progressing.
Let’s talk about how we can do the second.
🚫 1. Do not push the pain
Strength training can be uncomfortable – that is normal. But pain is different.
If discomfort gets worse as you warm up or raise the weight, it is your sign to immediately withdraw and continue to the next step.
🔥 2. Evaluate your warming again
If you feel those little “tweaks” while you train, make sure you have these elements in your warming up!
- Light general activity (3-5 minutes to increase your heart rate)
- 1 to 3 warm -up sets for your most important power exercises with lighter weights that gradually become a bit more challenging. (For details, view our Free Warming -Up guide!).
If you skip this, or rush through it, tightness or discomfort can just be your body that says, “I am not ready yet.”
📹 3. Check your technique
Film yourself or let someone else view your shape.
Sometimes discomfort comes from a technology breakdown that you do not realize that it happens, especially as fatigue or weight increases.
View this guide About performing the most important strength training lifts such as squats, deadlifts and pressing!
🧪 4. Try these fast adjustments
If you are warmed up well and your form looks decent, try this checklist:
✅ Reduce the weight – does it reduce the discomfort?
✅ Adjust the angle – Change your grip, handle or cable settings
✅ Change the pace or range – shortens the movement somewhat and delay it
If none of these works, it’s time to make a smart swap.
🔁 5. Strategic change movements
If it still feels, here is how we think about substitutions:
- Find a similar (but other) movement pattern → Bench press to disturb your shoulder? Try a dumbbell print or push-up.
- Focus on the same general muscles, but use a different movement → Lat Pulldown doesn’t work? Try a row instead.
- Enable muscle groups completely → Don’t cooperate upper body? Focus that day on legs or core.
In other words: Don’t force it. Find an alternative nearby. And if nothing feels right, it might be time to go home and get some extra rest and recovery!
🧑band 6. Raissee the next day again
As soon as things calm things down, test the area with:
- Controlled joint circles or movement drills
- Light corrective movements (band work, activation exercises)
- Careful reintroduction of movements with low to zero loading
You do not try to ‘repair’ it immediately. You collect feedback and give your body space to adjust.
🔹 A real-life example: Meet Vaughn
I want to tell you about one of my long -term customers, Vaughn.
Vaughn is one of the nicest guys I know – and one of the strongest!
But this is what really held me at Vaughn after having worked with him for years:
Occasionally there would be something occasionally during his training. His shape looked great. Nothing had changed. But He Could see that something was wrong.
So he did exactly what we were just talking about:
- He would test his warming up
- Try to withdraw the weight
- Raadage how things felt
And if it still didn’t feel right?
He would say, “You know what, I’m going to call it today. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
And he was.
That ability to listen to his body Without ego Made him one of the most consistent people in the gym. He was rarely injured. He kept showing up. And he remained strong.
Vaughn taught me that knowing when I have to go back just as important If knowing when to push.
🧠 Last thought
One of the best things you can do for long -term training?
Learn to listen to your body (without panicking).
Not every tweak is an injury. But every tweak deserves more research and attention.
And if you ever need help to find out what you have to undermine, adjust or concentrate, I am here to help!
– Coach Matt