is it okay to NOT feel sore after lifting?

Options
jackieatx
jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am a newbie to lifting, I had been doing light weights at home but I felt it was time to join a gym. So I did some leg presses, chest presses, etc. It felt great but I'm not sore. Is this a bad thing? Shouldn't I be tearing muscle for new growth? Wouldn't that make me sore? Please enlighten me
«13

Replies

  • nichole325
    nichole325 Posts: 244 Member
    Options
    Are you lifting heavy? You should be lifting enough to where it is pretty hard to do more than 3 reps.
  • GemmaRowlands
    GemmaRowlands Posts: 360 Member
    Options
    I think you can tell when your muscles have been worked. I don't think you necessarily need to feel physical pain in order to make an improvement, but I also think it stands to reason that the more you push yourself, the faster the process is going to be.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Options
    It's normal for soreness to become very short lived and/or absent after consistently training the same exercises for long periods of time. As a newbie though, I would think you'd be sore for at least several days after just starting a new regime. Next time you go, try upping the weights slowly.

    Also as a side note, you didn't mention when you started lifting. If it was just today then that makes more sense. Usually you get DOMS and you'll be sore the next day or more after working out. Not immediately after.
  • kgprice11
    kgprice11 Posts: 750 Member
    Options
    Honestly if you have been lifting lightly for awhile and then just went to the gym and lifted heavy as you said, you should feel a "burn". never do you want to tear a muscle, that is very painful and will stop you from working out for awhile as well as completely set you back. I would track in a book or what not of the weight you are lifting and if it feels "light' then you increase your reps or you increase the weight but keep the same reps.
  • shelbynicole32
    shelbynicole32 Posts: 179 Member
    Options
    I have been having the same problem even though I dont think that I could handle more weight,
    so instead of adding more weight I intensified my lifting and did new things to get that soreness that made me feel accomplished.
  • Angie_1MR
    Angie_1MR Posts: 247
    Options
    Just because you're not sore, it doesn't mean you didn't do any damage. There are body parts I can ALWAYS make sore, but some body parts I can rarely make sore. I always feel better when I wake up the next morning sore, but regardless, I know if I lift heavy I've done damage! :)
  • kgprice11
    kgprice11 Posts: 750 Member
    Options
    Are you lifting heavy? You should be lifting enough to where it is pretty hard to do more than 3 reps.

    Sorry but you are totally wrong here, the amount of reps and weight depends on what you are trying to get out of that session.
  • LesterBlackstone
    LesterBlackstone Posts: 291 Member
    Options
    Are you lifting heavy? You should be lifting enough to where it is pretty hard to do more than 3 reps.

    This is not only incorrect, but irresponsible and potentially dangerous.

    People who are new to lifting should never be using weights anywhere near their 3RM.
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
    Options
    I did 3 sets of 10 at 10lbs and then 2 sets of 10 at 25 on the chest press, 20 on leg press 3 of 10, and a few other much lighter ones of 5 or 10. I guess I feel like I should be sore after all that. I don't really know what weight is proper to do.
  • skingszoo
    skingszoo Posts: 412 Member
    Options
    I did 3 sets of 10 at 10lbs and then 2 sets of 10 at 25 on the chest press, 20 on leg press 3 of 10, and a few other much lighter ones of 5 or 10. I guess I feel like I should be sore after all that. I don't really know what weight is proper to do.
    Up those weights and lower the reps if you are wanting muscle growth/strength. Also you can lift (well I can) alot more with the machines then you can with free weights. Dont be scared to up them. If you cant do it then you can always lower back down.
  • phinphanbill26
    phinphanbill26 Posts: 574 Member
    Options
    If you're not sore, then you just went through the motions. Increase the weights and "work" next time. Lifting should make you breathe heavy and sweat.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Options
    I did 3 sets of 10 at 10lbs and then 2 sets of 10 at 25 on the chest press, 20 on leg press 3 of 10, and a few other much lighter ones of 5 or 10. I guess I feel like I should be sore after all that. I don't really know what weight is proper to do.

    Your last 3 for each exercise should be so hard and burn so much that you want to die. If it's not like that, that's why you're not sore. You may need more weight. Doing anywhere from 10 to 15 reps is fine, but your last 3 should hurt bad.
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
    Options
    I was doing lunges and squats at home every three or so days with sissy two pound weights.

    I will start tracking, thank you!
  • builtforlife
    builtforlife Posts: 259
    Options
    Get a weight that you cant lift any more than 12 times and lift with that. Do like 4 sets. Get sore.
  • FlyeredUp
    FlyeredUp Posts: 663 Member
    Options
    Just because you're not sore, it doesn't mean you didn't do any damage. There are body parts I can ALWAYS make sore, but some body parts I can rarely make sore. I always feel better when I wake up the next morning sore, but regardless, I know if I lift heavy I've done damage! :)
    This, no need to add anything.
  • koyongi
    koyongi Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    As mentioned above, soreness is not necessarily a requirement, or even desirable, to make progress. If you're just starting off and you're going pretty light, you may or may not get sore. If you don't, that's fine, and if you do, it will likely lessen as you progress. Measure your progress based on your goals, not on soreness.
  • tjlarkin
    tjlarkin Posts: 1
    Options
    It may take a day or two to feel the pain.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Options
    Your initial week or two of lifting will leave some soreness but after a while that soreness should go away and be replaced by some fatigue or a feeling of some tightness or even feeling swollen depending on what you've been doing.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    I did 3 sets of 10 at 10lbs and then 2 sets of 10 at 25 on the chest press, 20 on leg press 3 of 10, and a few other much lighter ones of 5 or 10. I guess I feel like I should be sore after all that. I don't really know what weight is proper to do.

    Did you feel like you were getting to 'failure' at the end of each set?
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Options
    I did 3 sets of 10 at 10lbs and then 2 sets of 10 at 25 on the chest press, 20 on leg press 3 of 10, and a few other much lighter ones of 5 or 10. I guess I feel like I should be sore after all that. I don't really know what weight is proper to do.

    Where did you get that programming from? Why that weight?

Categories