no pain, no gain

N

no pain, no gain

Meaning

• it is necessary to work hard or strive to reap rewards
• suffer to achieve results
• in order to improve, progress, or succeed you must subject yourself to difficult or even painful training
• if not hardworking, then no achievement
• intense hard work returns more results

Example Sentences

1. If you want to win the title next month, you have to train for an extra hour every day next week. No pain, no gain.
2. Get those legs moving faster, faster, come on, no pain, no gain.
3. You have to put in a 12-hour day. No pain, no gain if you want to succeed in this world.
4. He ran 20 miles yesterday as part of his training for the marathon. His legs are aching today, but no pain, no gain.
5. Top athletes and committed fitness enthusiasts may continue to adhere to the “no pain, no gain” method of exercise.
6. Jack humorously called his trainer a “pain” but followed it by saying there is no gain if there is no pain.
7. New Western study shows no pain, no gain for knee osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease).
8. The saying “no pain, no gain” is the key to my success and always inspires me to work harder.
9. The beautiful actress says, “no pain, no gain, shut up and train,” as she hits the gym after months.
10. Noah wakes up early in the morning every day. No pain, no gain.

Origin

“No pain, no gain” is quite an old proverb dating back to the second century. In The Ethics of the Fathers, the Rabbi writes:

“According to the pain is the gain.”

One of the oldest printed records of the proverb comes from the poet Robert Herrick in his “Hesperides.” Published in 1650:

No Pains, No Gains.
If little labour, little are our gains:
Man’s fate is according to his pains.
— Hesperides 752.

In 1670, John Rays wrote a Collection of English proverbs, featuring:

“Without pains, no gains.”

In The Way to Wealth (reprinted in 1758), Benjamin Franklin penned the proverb as:

“There are no gains without pains.”

It was made into a famous catchphrase in the 80s by Jane Fonda (US actor) in her aerobics videos. She shouted, “No pain, no gain” and “Feel the burn” during her workouts. From this, we hear the mantra repeated all over the western world, most often by athletic or sports coaches and personal trainers (probably in your local gym) nowadays.

Hard, Work