No pain, no gain is a seemingly modern idiom that most often refers to the ‘pain’ associated with intense exercise, especially muscle-building resistance exercise. However, it has existed since at least the mid-1800s as a variation of several similar idioms that are much older. It has been used since the 1980s regarding exercise motivation, meaning hard work, and even muscle pain is necessary to achieve physical fitness goals, especially larger muscles.
Meaning of Idiom ‘No Pain, No Gain’
No pain, no gain means that nothing can be achieved without without suffering or sacrifice; you cannot make progress without discomfort; hard work that causes physical discomfort, exhaustion, pain, etc. is necessary to be successful; discomfort or even pain is necessary to become truly physically fit.
Sentence Examples
“My legs are really sore from that long bike ride, but no pain, no gain.”
“I cannot deal with studying anymore. I feel like I’ll never learn to speak German. But, no pain, no gain, I guess.”
“Keep going,” said the trainer. “No pain, no gain!”
“If we don’t practice more, we don’t win. It’s a simple as that. No pain, no gain!”
“You can lift it! No pain, no gain.”
Origin
No pain, no gain probably began as no pains, no gains during the 1800s. It may have originated as a variation of a line by William Penn:
“No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.”
Penn meant to say that nothing is valuable if achieved easily without hard work, conviction, courage, and suffering.
No pain, no gain began to be used regarding exercise during the 1980s. It was probably popularized by Jane Fonda, who used it a catchphrase in her popular aerobic exercise videos.
