Exploring the Complexity of Pain and Injury in Running

Ryan Whited is an elite climber, personal trainer and strength & conditioning coach who owns Paragon Athletics in Flagstaff, Arizona. Together with author and coach Matt Fitzgerald he has written Pain & Performance: A revolutionary new way to use training as treatment for pain and injury. 

His approach to pain is a novel one and requires you to think about it in a much different way than most of us currently do.

Learning to use “training as treatment” and recognize the positive aspects of pain are just a few of the concepts we discuss today.

Before pain starts, build injury resilience during training! 

We also cover:

• Why pain can be a tool that is used to your advantage
• Understanding pain as a subjective experience from our history and beliefs 
• What is inaccurate about the structural model of injury
• How our expectancy of pain can influence it
• “Sweet talking” your system and using tissue without damaging it
• The problem with imaging - the difference between abnormal and problematic
• The role of fun in returning to activity after an injury 
• Why pain is neither all in your head nor all in your body  

Links & Resources from the Show:

• Learn more about Ryan and Paragon Athletics
• Follow Ryan on Instagram
• Check out Paragon Athletic’s YouTube videos
• Read Pain and Performance
• Get advice on how to stay healthy

A big thanks to DrinkLMNT for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. They are offering a free gift with your purchase at DrinkLMNT. And this does NOT have to be your first purchase. You’ll get a sample pack with every flavor so you can try them all before deciding what you like best. 

DrinkLMNT's products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day.

If you’re not familiar, LMNT is my favorite way to hydrate. They make electrolytes for athletes and low-carb folks with no Sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. I’m now in the habit of giving away boxes of LMNT at group runs around Denver and Boulder and everyone loves this stuff.

Boost your performance and your recovery with LMNT. They’re the exclusive hydration partner to Team USA Weightlifting and quite a few professional baseball, hockey, and basketball teams are on regular subscriptions. So check out DrinkLMNT to get a free sampler pack and get your hydration optimized for the upcoming season.

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