Feature Excerpt reprinted from LATimes | By: Thea Klapwald

Even with nostalgia so entrenched, most people are happy to bid adieu to the adage, “No pain, no gain.” It used to be that if you didn’t throw up after a workout, you might as well be a couch potato. Exercise devotees used to stick to one regime and never vary it. Anyone remember step aerobics? Day in, day out, hopping up and down on that little platform.

Thousands of injuries later, the sophisticated, albeit aging, population heads to a workout minus the pain. Experts are telling clients to stop before it hurts or stop when it hurts. Fitness routines are addressing specific problem areas. Trainers are teaching that holding back is more important than pushing through the pain and causing damage. Here are some teachers who value gain over pain.

Susan Howard – Kinesis Training
Susan Howard is on a mission for her clients to work out in a safe environment, which she says is embodied by Studio K’s wall kinesis training. Wall kinesis is a vertical system of cables and weights attached to a wall unit. Cables can extend 6 feet from the wall for maximum resistance. “It’s great for older people who don’t do a lot of lateral movement,” Howard said. “It awakens the body to work together as one whole unit.” Wall kinesis clients work toward core strength through balance, flexibility and agility without pain or re-injury. Group sessions are limited to eight people. “We want our clients to benefit in 10, 20, 30 years. We want them to live a long life without surgeries and knee pain,” Howard said.
To read the full article from the Los Angeles Times, visit the link: “No Pain Makes Gains in the Fitness World”