How important is soreness?

cclala

I've been hard at it for about 3 months now, and I've noticed I rarely get sore anymore. So I decided to mix it up and I took this class last Friday....it was torture! In a good way....so many tricep curls I lost count, and had to drop the body bar from sheer exhaustion at one point. We must have done 12 reps of various arm exercises about 20 times that hour.

And still, I was not sore the next day. My legs were a tiny bit, but it was more of an arm class. I mean I practically had to drag myself out of that class it was so intense.

What gives? I'm not exactly jacked....quite the opposite, my arms are a bit noodly as it stands.

Am I not going to see results unless I feel it the next day? I'm not sure how I could have pushed it any further, I could barely lift my gym bag afterward.

superstarcassie

Give it another day! I usually feel the soreness 2 days after!

ladyhawk00

Muscle soreness is the result of a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles after repeated contraction/release. If you are taking in enough water, calcium, potassium and sodium, you will not have the soreness (or be AS sore) because those "flush out" the lactic acid. Further light working of the muscles also helps flush out the acid, which is why it's better to not "laze around" for a day or two after a hard workout. Not being sore isn't really a measure of the intensity of the workout, but more a result of good nutrition & water intake.

Rejoice! And keep moving!

sbilyeu75

Am I not going to see results unless I feel it the next day? I'm not sure how I could have pushed it any further, I could barely lift my gym bag afterward.

If that was the case, I don't think anyone would work out. I lift hard, but I'm rarely sore the next day. Usually, I get sore the first couple of days after switching up the routine but that's all.

cclala

Muscle soreness is the result of a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles after repeated contraction/release. If you are taking in enough water, calcium, potassium and sodium, you will not have the soreness (or be AS sore) because those "flush out" the lactic acid. Further light working of the muscles also helps flush out the acid, which is why it's better to not "laze around" for a day or two after a hard workout. Not being sore isn't really a measure of the intensity of the workout, but more a result of good nutrition & water intake.

Rejoice! And keep moving!

Good to know! I feel like an (accidental) nutritional ninja now! I did also work out on Saturday, so like you said that may have helped. All the more reason to drink water and eat right!

cclala

Am I not going to see results unless I feel it the next day? I'm not sure how I could have pushed it any further, I could barely lift my gym bag afterward.

If that was the case, I don't think anyone would work out. I lift hard, but I'm rarely sore the next day. Usually, I get sore the first couple of days after switching up the routine but that's all.

Good point. Thanks for the input-

Azdak

It may be that, even though you did a lot of repetitions, the weight was not all that heavy relative to your ability. Muscle soreness is associated with heavy eccentric contractions. While it can be very uncomfortable, for most people it doesn't mean much--it just means they did something the body wasn't accustomed to doing. That's not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.
If you end up not experiencing soreness, it just means that particular workout did not stress your system.

One other thing: Lactic acid has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH MUSCLE SORENESS. Lactic acid is not a "waste product", nor does it "build up" in the muscles. It is a normal by product of exercise metabolism that may or may not play a role in acute muscle fatigue, but it clears out very quickly once exercise is stopped. The idea that LA is involved in any way with muscle soreness has been disproved for around 25 years.

ladyhawk00

It may be that, even though you did a lot of repetitions, the weight was not all that heavy relative to your ability. Muscle soreness is associated with heavy eccentric contractions. While it can be very uncomfortable, for most people it doesn't mean much--it just means they did something the body wasn't accustomed to doing. That's not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.
If you end up not experiencing soreness, it just means that particular workout did not stress your system.

One other thing: Lactic acid has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH MUSCLE SORENESS. Lactic acid is not a "waste product", nor does it "build up" in the muscles. It is a normal by product of exercise metabolism that may or may not play a role in acute muscle fatigue, but it clears out very quickly once exercise is stopped. The idea that LA is involved in any way with muscle soreness has been disproved for around 25 years.

I stand corrected. Was what I learned in (a quite prestigious) college 15 years ago. Thanks for the assistance.

Azdak

It may be that, even though you did a lot of repetitions, the weight was not all that heavy relative to your ability. Muscle soreness is associated with heavy eccentric contractions. While it can be very uncomfortable, for most people it doesn't mean much--it just means they did something the body wasn't accustomed to doing. That's not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.
If you end up not experiencing soreness, it just means that particular workout did not stress your system.

One other thing: Lactic acid has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH MUSCLE SORENESS. Lactic acid is not a "waste product", nor does it "build up" in the muscles. It is a normal by product of exercise metabolism that may or may not play a role in acute muscle fatigue, but it clears out very quickly once exercise is stopped. The idea that LA is involved in any way with muscle soreness has been disproved for around 25 years.

I stand corrected. Was what I learned in (a quite prestigious) college 15 years ago. Thanks for the assistance.

Sorry, I was addressing the idea, but it came out as though it was directed at you personally. Bad tone on my part. I apologize.

ladyhawk00

It may be that, even though you did a lot of repetitions, the weight was not all that heavy relative to your ability. Muscle soreness is associated with heavy eccentric contractions. While it can be very uncomfortable, for most people it doesn't mean much--it just means they did something the body wasn't accustomed to doing. That's not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.
If you end up not experiencing soreness, it just means that particular workout did not stress your system.

One other thing: Lactic acid has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH MUSCLE SORENESS. Lactic acid is not a "waste product", nor does it "build up" in the muscles. It is a normal by product of exercise metabolism that may or may not play a role in acute muscle fatigue, but it clears out very quickly once exercise is stopped. The idea that LA is involved in any way with muscle soreness has been disproved for around 25 years.

I stand corrected. Was what I learned in (a quite prestigious) college 15 years ago. Thanks for the assistance.

Sorry, I was addressing the idea, but it came out as though it was directed at you personally. Bad tone on my part. I apologize.

Was a little forceful, but not your error - I'm cranky as I'm sick and can't get a real workout in today. Really, though, I appreciate it. Made me go look it up and learn the correct answer. I'm always happy to keep learning.

mideon_696

how nice it would be to never get sore!!! ha!

Did heavy deadlifts this morning...not sore yet, but imma pay for it tomorrow night i reckon!!!
Squats tonight too...man the next few days is gunna suck!