Contrary to this popular saying, pain doesn’t give way to fitness gains. It actually impedes your ability to perform exercises correctly and, worse, can lead to serious injury. Pain indicates that something is wrong, whether it’s a minimal strain to a muscle or tendon or a more serious tear.

Even when you’re stretching, you should only be feeling mild tension and perhaps a small degree of discomfort, but never pain. Stretches should be held only to the point of mild discomfort for 20-30 seconds.

If you experience a sharp pain while exercising, or if the pain persists, talk to your doctor. If you have a personal trainer available at your gym, talk to him or her. A skilled trainer can help you determine if it’s serious, or if a simple tweak to your form can fix the problem. If the pain is ever in your chest region and feels like it could be your heart working overtime, don’t ignore it – stop what you are doing immediately and get help.

If you’re from the “no pain, no gain” era, it’s time to enter the new age of “no pain … great!”