"Swap it, don’t stop it": a simple guide to training around pain

You’ve been training consistently, or you’ve just got back into it after a break, and a niggle shows up. A cranky knee in squats. A shoulder that complains on the bench. Achilles soreness after a run. The temptation is either to push through and hope, or to stop everything.

There’s usually a better middle path. Most training-related aches respond well to adjusting what you do rather than stopping completely. Here’s a step-by-step way to do that, and how to tell when it’s time to get help.

Why not just stop?

Rest feels logical, but complete rest has costs. Fitness, strength and tissue tolerance drop surprisingly quickly when you stop, a process called deconditioning. Then, when you return, your body is less prepared than before, which can set up the next flare.

Research supports staying active in a controlled way. For example, in people with Achilles tendon pain, continuing to run and jump with a pain-monitoring approach led to similar recovery to a more restrictive approach [1]. And a review of exercise for persistent musculoskeletal pain found that exercise involving some tolerable discomfort can be at least as helpful as pain-free exercise in the short term [2].

Understanding load, recovery and adaptation

Every training session is a stimulus. It temporarily tires and stresses your tissues. With enough recovery, your body adapts and comes back a little stronger. String enough of those cycles together and your baseline fitness rises.

Problems tend to arise when stimulus outruns recovery, for example after a big jump in training, a period of poor sleep or high stress, or when returning after a break and picking up where you left off. Researchers have found that well-planned, gradually progressed training is linked with fewer injuries than sudden spikes in load [3], although the exact ratios and formulas used to measure this are still debated [4].

The "swap it" checklist

Try these one at a time, giving each change about a week, and see how your symptoms respond. You’re looking for a level where any pain is mild (around 3/10 or less), settles within an hour or so, and isn’t worse the next morning. Our tendon traffic-light guide explains this approach.

1. Reduce total load

Start by cutting your overall weekly training volume by about 10–20%, such as fewer sets, fewer kilometres or shorter sessions. If symptoms improve, hold there for a week or two, then slowly rebuild.

2. Reduce intensity

If you’re regularly training at 9/10 effort, drop most sessions to around 7/10. You’ll maintain plenty of fitness while giving tissues breathing room.

3. Change the tempo

Slowing a movement down can reduce irritation and improve control. For a squat, try a 3–5 second lowering phase with lighter weight.

4. Change the range of motion

If your knee complains below parallel in a squat, squat to just above parallel, or to a box. If your shoulder grumbles at the bottom of a bench press, try a floor press or use a slightly shorter range. Then gradually work back into full range.

5. Change the frequency

If daily running or squatting is aggravating, try every second or third day, with other training in between.

6. Substitute the exercise, temporarily

If you’ve tried the above and it’s still too irritable, swap the movement for a similar one that feels OK:

• Squats: box squats, leg press, split squats or step-ups
• Running: cycling, swimming, pool running or brisk walking
• Overhead pressing: landmine press or incline press
• Deadlifts: trap bar deadlift, hip thrusts or a block pull

These changes aren’t forever. They’re a bridge that keeps you training while things settle, so you can build back up.

Returning after a break

Coming back after injury, illness, travel or a busy season? A few principles help:

• Start below your old level: shorter runs, lighter weights, easier efforts. Finish your first few sessions feeling like you could have done more.
• Build gradually over weeks, not days.
• Plan lighter weeks every four to six weeks to let your body consolidate.
• Mix it up: variety spreads the load. Normally run? Add a ride or a swim.
• Watch for warning signs: unusual fatigue, irritability, poor sleep, losing motivation, or old niggles returning can be signs you need more recovery.

Remember that some muscle soreness after new training is normal. Our DOMS guide explains the difference.

When to get it checked

Get an assessment if:

• pain is getting worse despite these changes, or is still bothering you after two to three weeks
• you have swelling, locking, giving way or pain at night
• pain is sharp and localised, especially in a bone (such as the shin or foot)
• you have pins and needles, numbness or weakness

How we can help at Retrain Health

Our team loves helping active people keep training. We can:

• work out what’s driving your pain with a thorough osteopathy assessment
• treat it hands-on to ease pain and restore movement
• design a modified program that keeps you training now, and progresses you back to full capacity, through exercise rehabilitation

Not sure what kind of support suits you? Our guide on rehab, strength and conditioning and personal training explains the differences. More on sports injuries is here too.

Keep training, smarter

You don’t have to choose between pushing through and stopping completely. Book an appointment with our Byron Bay team and we’ll help you find the version of training that works for you right now.

This article is general information only and isn’t a substitute for individual advice.