Many people believe that successful athletes have an innate tendency to push themselves through pain. In reality, however, the high tolerance for pain that is often exhibited by athletes may be something they have developed through training rather than something they were born with.
In a landmark study, authors first measured the pain tolerance of elite athletes, recreational athletes, and sedentary individuals. The elite athletes demonstrated a significantly greater pain tolerance than the recreational athletes, who had a greater pain tolerance than the sedentary group.
The subjects then underwent training for their sport. After months of training, the pain tolerance of the athletes had increased dramatically. The sedentary group, however, failed to demonstrate any improvement.
Conclusion
Many people often wish that they were born with a greater tolerance for pain. Based off of this study, however, it appears that a high tolerance for pain can be developed through physical training.
References
1 Scott V, Gijsbers K. Pain perception in competitive swimmers. Br Med J. 1981 Jul; 283(6284): 91-93.