Muscle Soreness

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wilsoncl6
wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,288 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been weight lifting for some time and in the past have been pretty sore after my workouts. However, lately I've been able to get through my workouts even after increasing weights and have not gotten sore at all. My muscles feel really tight and I have a good pump but no soreness at all. The question is, if I'm not sore after my weight routine, am I pushing myself hard enough or is it just that my body has gotten very efficient at removing lactic acid and other toxins from my muscles? I usually do medium weight, 4 different exercises per muscle group, 4x10 reps where the last rep is a struggle. This has always yielded results for me.

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  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    General thought is that soreness is NOT an indicator of the quality of your workout.

    If you are able to complete you lifts each session and increase your lifts as programmed, then you are doing just fine.
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,288 Member
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    Good to know. I've been increasing incrementally over the weeks but didn't know if I was moving up in weight too slowly.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    FWIW... I find that the only time I end up sore is:

    1) when I add a new lift to my routine
    2) when a lift requires both a stretch and a contraction of the muscle (i.e. lunges, chest flys)

  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    edited November 2014
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    soreness sometimes just means you didnt stretch and cool-down as much as you should have. doesn't necessarily indicate a great workout.

    i also usually only get it when im doing something new.
  • Grar_Ulfur
    Grar_Ulfur Posts: 2 Member
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    Do not forget to consider recovery/active recovery in your workout plans as growth and improvement occurs during this time. Disregarding recovery and emphasizing training will result in sore muscles and tendons.

    Additionally, take a look at your nutrition, a dearth of nutrients will also hamstring (pardon the pun) improvement.

    I recently discovered the benefits of the inclusion of PQQ and D-Ribose in my diet, these are described in the literature as increasing levels of ATP (the "energy currency" of the cell) as well as stimulating the production of Mitochondria. One researcher reported a 30% increase in these organelles. Recovery and cellular energy can be increased. This helped a lot with soreness.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,608 Member
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    Progressive overload is the gauge of progress you should be looking at. Soreness is not an indicator of a good session. If you implement a new routine or a new exercise you’ll most likely feel it 24 hours later it just means you’re micro tearing some fibers.
  • dblirondog
    dblirondog Posts: 123 Member
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    Such a great question, I've been thinking the same thing. Good answers to think about.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,329 Member
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    9 year old zombie thread! 😜

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