No pain, plenty of gain: Why taking it easy can give JUST as good results trends now

Want to get those chiselled abs or perky bum? Well, you'll have to spend hours slaving away in the gym. 

Or so, that's what we've been told for decades.

The motivational adage 'no pain, no gain' reflects on the mentality of bodybuilders in spit and sawdust gyms of years gone by, when it was believed that the only way to transform your body was to hit a wall of pain.

But over the years that 'myth has been dispelled', says Dr Darren Player, a lecturer in musculoskeletal bioengineering at University College London. 

It turns out that people can still be able to walk at the end of a workout while making progress, according to experts.

But how much pain do we actually need to endure to see results? 

Here, MailOnline unpacks the science behind 'no pain, no gain' and explains how taking it easy can still give you results. 

Unfortunately, it is true that you will need to experience some kind of pain to see any improvements.

To get stronger or run further, you need to push yourself more than before — either by lifting stronger weights or cramming in another 5k — which will likely feel unpleasant.

This is because most improvements in athletic performance are down to increasing muscle strength.

When doing a strenuous workout, the muscles being used suffer tiny tears, which the body then repairs and adapts to better handle the activity next time.

This process, medically known as hypertrophy, increases the size of the muscles and causes some pain.

Matt Roberts, a personal trainer who has worked with Naomi Campbell, Mel C and Adele, said: 'We need to work muscles hard enough to have that tear and regrowth. It is the tearing and growing that has a certain degree of discomfort.'

Dr Player said: 'You have to be providing that novel stimulus.

'If someone who has never done anything at all — apart from sit and stand from a chair — does something slightly more, then they will see some improvements.

'That might mean, in that scenario, they do actually sense some pain.' 

To get fitter, you don't necessarily need to push yourself until you can hardly breathe or walk.

Instead, taking small steps that require less effort can also work, experts say. 

Dr Player said: 'For most people, it is as simple as, if you are doing more today than you are doing yesterday, or the previous session, then that really is enough. 

'You don't have to be pushing yourself to the point where you can't walk.'

Instead, a long walk or bike ride that increases the heart rate for a longer duration — but less dramatically — can still give you results and improve fitness, while being less strenuous.