Do sore muscles always mean a good workout, vice versa?

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courtneytrisha
courtneytrisha Posts: 32 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Basically what I'm asking is when doing weights, if you're sore the next day does that always mean you did a really effective workout? And if you aren't sore the next day, does that always mean you didn't go hard enough?

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  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
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    Not necessarily. Poor form can cause soreness.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    As can just doing something different--it doesn't even have be that hard.

    A lot of people like the feeling of soreness--it makes them feel like they did a good workout. Any positive reinforcement is good, but you don't want to get too hung up on soreness as a measuring stick, because the longer you lift, you tend to have less and less soreness.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    It's quite rare I get sore for an exercise I've been doing regularly.

    For instance, just started back doing weights recently and some extra abs stuff even more recently.

    First few times despite lowering my squat to 20% below previous, I could barely walk the day after.

    Now got that back up 27.5%, so over my last best and not am absolutely fine the day after, despite continual improvement and reasonably pushing myself as much as I can.

    Same story with the abs stuff - first time I did it I could hardly sit up in bed for the next five days! Had to leave it 8 days before repeating. Now only a total of 4 sessions in, I'm fine the day after even when pushing to my reasonable limits.

    Same for doing a cardio class in a gym, though I did find running would do me in more.

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