Not sore anymore after working out.. is this bad?

KendAnne
KendAnne Posts: 51 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I haven't been on my program very long, only 2 weeks... and I'm not sore from my workouts anymore.

I'll start by saying I was doing really well in the gym before Halloween, from Aug to Oct I was going 4 days a week but wasn't on any particular workout regimen.. mostly machines and light free weights. I hadn't been sore from that in forever but I didn't think about it then bc I was just trying to get the gym figured out....

Anyway back to my question... the intensity of my workout hasn't changed in 2 weeks but I'm not l sore anymore, do I need to go heavier on the weights? I did l go 20/25 lbs heavier on my leg extensions/curls (respectively) and went 30lbs heavier on squats... but today my legs aren't really feeling it....

So yeah, I'm at a loss... I "want" the soreness as evidence my workouts are actually pushing my muscles.... HELP! :)

Replies

  • cynthialivehealthy
    cynthialivehealthy Posts: 1 Member
    You don't necessarily have to have soreness to be making progress, at least not the "I can't walk, my legs are so stiff" type of soreness. With you being out of it for only a few months, your body muscle memory might have kicked in so you might be able to kick back up to whatever weight you were at before you quit in Oct. Increasing weight is always a good thing if your body can handle it. The burn while working out is a good thing.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Preogression on weights is always good.

    However, DOMS (sore muscles) are NOT an indicator of progress.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    I agree with everything above. Your body will eventually adapt and you'll need to keep pushing yourself harder and harder. It's kind of mental F because psychologically you'll think "When will this get easier?" well, the truth is never if you keep wanting to stimulate your muscle fibers.
  • KendAnne
    KendAnne Posts: 51 Member
    Muscle memory... duh. My gym newb status is showing! Thanks for the input.. I'm Def not wanting wanting the workout to get easier.. I was just convinced I wasn't working out hard enough bc I'm not feeling good it the day after.

    I had some muscle burn last night while I was in there.. and jelly legs about an hour after I got home. So I feel a little better now, thank you guys again!!
  • curlyslim
    curlyslim Posts: 64 Member
    Also, you may feel some 'fullness' and/or fatigue in the muscles, not necessarily sore.

    I find that my biceps NEVER seem to get sore, and during the exercise I feel like I am really giving it! I guess some parts are a bit strange too!
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    also - try actually doing the exercises really slow tempo and really concentrating on the muscles that you are supposed to be using (for a couple of weeks). You'd be surprised at how things can hurt again by doing that. A lot of the times people just sit on the machine and go "oh yes leg extension" but are not paying attention to actually feeling the muscles you want to use being used.

    Give it a go :) tighten your core then really concentrate on the muscles - eg lying leg curls - focus on your butt muscles when you're curling your leg - get the butt to curl the legs up.
  • KendAnne
    KendAnne Posts: 51 Member
    Gonna focus on my muscle movements tonight, great advice @Cahgetsfit

    I really appreciate all of yalls input! This is what makes MFP so good, we have some smart people on this app!

    Looking forward to a good workout tonight, and I'm not gonna worry about whether or not I'm gonna be sore tomm :smile:
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    Who ever said you had to be sore after a workout? DOMS is quite literally just muscular imflamation, I hardly get it anymore, even if I do several hard cour compound or drop sets, but I continue to make progress.

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