Expert offers advice on maximizing workout results without getting hurt

Finding the balance between pushing too hard and not pushing hard enough during your workout can be challenging.

Sometimes, the mindset of "No pain, No gain" isn't always the way to go.

A local expert has better advice to help you see results without getting hurt.

Leo Wang has jumped right back into working out after not exercising much during the winter. Now, he's trying to make up for lost time.

"I go pretty hard starting to play basketball again and go to the gym every day," said Wang.

And he's not alone, many people along Kelly Drive tell us once the weather got nice, they went full speed ahead with fitness.

"Springtime comes and you kind of want to consolidate and push to the limit, run a lot and work out a lot," said one runner.

Justin Shaginaw, a physical therapist at Aria 3B Orthopaedics, says the goal is to strike a balance.

"If you push too far, you're going to have an injury. If you don't push too much then you won't see results. And that balance is different for every individual," said Shaginaw.

He says common injuries this time of year include overuse or impact injuries such as shin splints, tendonitis and muscle strains.

To avoid problems he says start slowly and gradually increase intensity.

As for "No pain, No gain", Shaginaw says a better motto is no soreness, no gain.

But there is a difference between being sore and being in pain.

"If you had pain the next day where you have difficulty doing daily activities, getting dressed, walking stairs then once again something you did the day before was a problem," said Shaginaw.

And he says if the pain doesn't go away after a few days, you should see your healthcare provider.

But if it's just soreness, that means your working your muscles the right way. However, you should still give them time to recover.

"You usually want to wait until that soreness resolves before you exercise that muscle group again," said Shaginaw.

But there is an exception to that.

Within reason, he says you can work your core or abdominal muscles every day.

They're a different type of muscle fiber and they're basically always working so it's hard to over-work them.