Training Around Niggles Without Losing Progress

If you train consistently whether you’re an athlete or a busy adult chances are you’ve dealt with a niggle at some point.

Not a major injury. Not something that needs surgery or weeks on the sidelines. Just enough discomfort to make you question whether training is helping or hurting.

This is where many people get stuck. They either push through pain and make it worse, or they shut everything down “just to be safe” and lose hard-earned progress.

The reality is this: Most niggles don’t require stopping training they require smarter training.

What Is a “Niggle”?

A niggle is typically:

• Low-level discomfort rather than sharp pain

• Inconsistent or position-specific

• Manageable with a proper warm-up

• Stable or improving from session to session

  
  

It’s very different from:

• Sharp or stabbing pain

• Swelling

• Loss of strength or range of motion

• Pain that worsens each session

  
  

Those signs often require further assessment. A niggle, on the other hand, is usually a signal to adjust, not a reason to stop completely.

The Biggest Mistake: Stopping All Training

One of the most common mistakes we see is people pulling the handbrake entirely as soon as something feels off.

While rest has its place, complete inactivity often leads to:

• Loss of strength and fitness

• Reduced tissue tolerance

• Lower confidence returning to training

• The same issue flaring up again once training resumes

In many cases, appropriate loading is part of the solution, not the problem. The body adapts to what it’s exposed to remove all stimulus, and resilience tends to drop.

Shifting the Goal: Maintain, Not Maximise

When training around a niggle, the objective temporarily changes.

Instead of chasing personal bests or pushing maximal loads, the focus becomes:

• Maintaining strength and capacity

• Preserving movement quality

• Staying consistent with training habits

• Reducing irritation while remaining active

  
  

This is an important mindset shift. Progress isn’t always about doing more — sometimes it’s about not losing ground while the body settles.

How Smart Training Adjustments Work

Training around niggles doesn’t mean “taking it easy” — it means being strategic.

Common adjustments include:

• Reducing load while maintaining intent and control

• Modifying range of motion

• Swapping exercises that stress irritated joints or tissues

• Adjusting volume before reducing intensity

• Improving warm-up quality and preparation

  
  

For example:

• A sore knee doesn’t automatically rule out lower-body training

• A cranky shoulder doesn’t mean zero upper-body work

It means choosing movements and loading strategies that respect what the body can tolerate right now, while still delivering a meaningful training stimulus.

Pain Doesn’t Always Equal Damage

One of the most misunderstood aspects of training is pain.

Pain is influenced by many factors, including:

• Fatigue

• Stress

• Sleep quality

• Training load

• Previous experiences and confidence

  
  

Some discomfort during training doesn’t automatically mean tissue damage is occurring. What matters more is how symptoms respond over time.

Key questions to monitor:

• Does the discomfort settle shortly after training?

• Is it worse the following day?

• Is it trending up or down across the week?

  
  

Training should feel manageable and stable, not progressively worse.

Consistency Is the Real Advantage

Athletes and members who handle niggles best tend to:

• Stay consistent with training

• Communicate early with their coach

• Adjust without ego

• Trust the long-term process

  
  

They don’t disappear for weeks and attempt a full reset. They keep showing up, making small adjustments, and maintaining momentum. That consistency compounds over time.

Playing the Long Game

Training success isn’t built on perfect weeks. It’s built on stringing together good-enough weeks over months and years.

Niggles are part of that journey. Learning how to train around them — without panic or stubbornness — is a critical skill for long-term progress.

If something feels off, address it early. Small adjustments now almost always prevent bigger problems later.

Train smart. Stay consistent. Play the long game.