Do you have to be in pain ......

nikii14
nikii14 Posts: 403 Member
edited September 19 in Fitness and Exercise
to know that you are getting a good workout??

I do all different exercises ..from jogging, light weights, elliptical, pilates etc....
but I never seem to wake up the next morning achy or muscles sore. I used to. Do you think my body is used to the same old routine?? Does that mean Im not working out hard enough?

I used to sweat alot too, now I don't..except when i jog and that's because Im terrible at it:grumble:

Whatcha think?:tongue:

Replies

  • paulamma1
    paulamma1 Posts: 544 Member
    Pulling this outta my *kitten*......

    If your muscles aren't sore/tender the day after a workout, you did not push yourself to the limit.

    Now, maybe you don't start out to push yourself to the limit.

    Don't be afraid of gaining muscle like the guys, it just doesn't happen for us that way.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    if you stretch well at the end of each session, you will severly reduce the amount of soreness the next day.
  • nikii14
    nikii14 Posts: 403 Member
    ok..there are days my hiney hurts or I can "feel it" in my legs......
    but nothing major where I can't move. Not that I want to hurt myself, but Im just realizing that maybe Im not pushing as hard as I should be!!
  • photoman67
    photoman67 Posts: 116 Member
    I think that you should definitely try some different types of exercises and tweek your routine a little. I notice that when I switch up my routine, I get that soreness again that lets you know your muscles are being worked. That's just my opinion.
  • pange
    pange Posts: 82
    If you can afford it, I recommend getting a heart rate monitor. Your heart rate can tell you whether or not you're getting a good workout.
  • mfinney
    mfinney Posts: 314
    many things are possible -- depending on how long you have been doing the "same" things, same routine, same days, same intensity, etc..... yes your body becomes way too efficient at doing the same thing over and over again, no matter what it is. i am a firm believer in switching things up at least every other month (8 weeks), though i usually try to switch mine every 6 to keep my edge. lookup different workouts, add more weights, do interval training for cardio instead of endurance... a number of things can be done to change the stimulus your body has grown accustomed to and spark new growth (or loss) and a change in metabolism. find some new workouts online or dvds or whatever trips your trigger, but find something new and different you haven't done before and see what happens. our bodies will always adapt to repeated stress, so it has to be changed fairly often to reap the benefits we seek.
  • nikii14
    nikii14 Posts: 403 Member
    If you can afford it, I recommend getting a heart rate monitor. Your heart rate can tell you whether or not you're getting a good workout.

    I do need a HRM....Thanks for the reminder!!:flowerforyou:
  • eurestemari
    eurestemari Posts: 33
    Well said..
    You might have to work out longer or add more weights. If it is easy and your not trying hard to get that last minute in or last rep in then you are not pushing your body to the limit. It takes 4 to 6 week for your body adapt then you have to change it up for weights it just might be every week that you have to increase the reps or the weights.
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
    Pulling this outta my *kitten*......

    If your muscles aren't sore/tender the day after a workout, you did not push yourself to the limit.

    Now, maybe you don't start out to push yourself to the limit.

    Don't be afraid of gaining muscle like the guys, it just doesn't happen for us that way.

    UM NOOOOOOOOO! You don't have to have pain to be getting a good work out. That is a common misconception that A LOT of people make.

    No pain no gain is my least favorite statement out there.
  • blondeheat
    blondeheat Posts: 254 Member
    First thing to ask is why are you working out?
    If the purpose of working out is for is to lose weight, use a heart rate monitor to see if you are burning the number of calories you want. In this case, lack of soreness does not mean anything.

    If the purpose for working out is say for a competitive sport, you should be pushing hard enough to be sore sometime, but other days would be rest or easy days for your muscles to recover. You should not push hard every day, although if you are using different muscle groups, you can push hard more days than if you are using one muscle group.
  • nursegirl79
    nursegirl79 Posts: 146 Member
    I believe in NO PAIN NO GAIN if your trying to increase muscle.
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
    I believe in NO PAIN NO GAIN if your trying to increase muscle.

    That's an excellent way to hurt yourself.....but it's job security for me so go for it! :bigsmile:
  • nursegirl79
    nursegirl79 Posts: 146 Member
    Lol...we are talking about the right kind of pain. No pulled muscles, sprains, strains, ligamets, etc. Muscle soreness never "hurt" anyone.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Feeling "sore" is a symptom, not a goal.

    Anytime you significantly change a workout and/or use muscles in different patterns than before, you might feel some "soreness" the next couple of days (soreness as opposed to fatigue). The amount of soreness will depend on the difference in intensity, duration, movement, etc. The longer you work out and the more different activities you try, the less likely it is you will feel the same "soreness" that you might have experienced when you first started. That is NOT an indication that you are not working hard enough.

    Again, soreness should not be used as an indicator of workout quality (in fact, just the opposite could be argued).

    If you are uncertain about your workout program, review your goals, your progress and your results so far. Find a qualified fitness professional to review your program, or post some details here and sort through the replies. Make sure that your workouts match the goals you want to achieve.
  • hasiangirl
    hasiangirl Posts: 1,613
    i always thought if u kept your muscles well hydrated and stretched well enough and fed ur body the right kind of foods you wont feel much pain at all if any...atleast when i was losing weight for the first time a few years ago(before my kids) i used to do intense workouts from 2-5 hours a day and never had any issues with significant amounts of pain...sfter a work out i could feel my muscles were sore and fatigued, but then i would stretch and after about an hour and drinking some water i felt fine... it could also depend on other peoples bodies i spose but i dont agree with no pain no gain...I believe if u do it right there shouldnt be tons of pain :flowerforyou:
  • Georg
    Georg Posts: 1,728 Member
    This is interesting...
    when I first got serious about exercising I'd be a little stiff & sore. It felt good to know I'd worked my body in new ways. But I don't get that much anymore, even when I switch from biking to walking or swimming.
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
    Feeling "sore" is a symptom, not a goal.

    Anytime you significantly change a workout and/or use muscles in different patterns than before, you might feel some "soreness" the next couple of days (soreness as opposed to fatigue). The amount of soreness will depend on the difference in intensity, duration, movement, etc. The longer you work out and the more different activities you try, the less likely it is you will feel the same "soreness" that you might have experienced when you first started. That is NOT an indication that you are not working hard enough.

    Again, soreness should not be used as an indicator of workout quality (in fact, just the opposite could be argued).

    If you are uncertain about your workout program, review your goals, your progress and your results so far. Find a qualified fitness professional to review your program, or post some details here and sort through the replies. Make sure that your workouts match the goals you want to achieve.

    Thank you. :drinker:
  • nursegirl79
    nursegirl79 Posts: 146 Member
    You obviously don't get my point but thats ok...:wink:
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
    I get your point, but I think you're wrong. :laugh:

    I work out with a personal trainer and he pushes me pretty hard. Sometimes I can barely get those weights up there because he puts so much on. But I'm not sore the next day. Because we're doing the exercises properly.

    I work out about 10-15 hours a week doing intense stuff -- biking, swimming, running as well as strength training and I've seen continuous and obvious improvement in all my fitness measures since I started doing this. I'm making faster progress than many others in my triathlon club who started this year too.

    So I don't buy into the principle that is has to hurt to make progress and build muscle.

    Not to mention, all fitness gains come during rest. You have to rest your muscles for them to repair themselves and it's when they repair themselves that they get stronger. If it takes you two days to recover from an exercise, then that's a day you can't work out. It's better just to not get that sore to start with so you only have to take one day (or no days) off.
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
    I get your point, but I think you're wrong. :laugh:

    I work out with a personal trainer and he pushes me pretty hard. Sometimes I can barely get those weights up there because he puts so much on. But I'm not sore the next day. Because we're doing the exercises properly.

    I work out about 10-15 hours a week doing intense stuff -- biking, swimming, running as well as strength training and I've seen continuous and obvious improvement in all my fitness measures since I started doing this. I'm making faster progress than many others in my triathlon club who started this year too.

    So I don't buy into the principle that is has to hurt to make progress and build muscle.

    Not to mention, all fitness gains come during rest. You have to rest your muscles for them to repair themselves and it's when they repair themselves that they get stronger. If it takes you two days to recover from an exercise, then that's a day you can't work out. It's better just to not get that sore to start with so you only have to take one day (or no days) off.


    I agree with you.

    I think it's all about balance. Be sore (if you must) for no more than a night or a day. If you're sore beyond that, imho, you're not doing your body any good.

    Sometimes our brains want to push harder than what our bodies need. We just have to find the balance between pushing ourselves and also giving our body what it needs to heal.
  • nursegirl79
    nursegirl79 Posts: 146 Member
    okie dokie:wink:
  • nursegirl79
    nursegirl79 Posts: 146 Member
    I get your point, but I think you're wrong. :laugh:

    I work out with a personal trainer and he pushes me pretty hard. Sometimes I can barely get those weights up there because he puts so much on. But I'm not sore the next day. Because we're doing the exercises properly.

    I work out about 10-15 hours a week doing intense stuff -- biking, swimming, running as well as strength training and I've seen continuous and obvious improvement in all my fitness measures since I started doing this. I'm making faster progress than many others in my triathlon club who started this year too.

    So I don't buy into the principle that is has to hurt to make progress and build muscle.

    Not to mention, all fitness gains come during rest. You have to rest your muscles for them to repair themselves and it's when they repair themselves that they get stronger. If it takes you two days to recover from an exercise, then that's a day you can't work out. It's better just to not get that sore to start with so you only have to take one day (or no days) off.


    "I can barely get those weights up there because he puts so much on."

    Do you feel the burn? I think burn is a type of pain. Don't you?
    Hence....You didn't get my point.
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
    No, I don't think it's a type of pain. At most it's a discomfort. Which is not what the OP was talking about or what the rest of us are talking about.

    I love your rational arguments with lots of supporting evidence for your POV, though. :wink:
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
    The "burn" from working out is definitely not something that falls under the pain category.

    I'm sorry but being an athletic trainer and working in a physical therapy clinic I have seen all kinds of injuries and have worked with first class athletes and little old ladies.....basically ALL populations and the number one rule is to work yourself hard because you do need that progressive resistive exercise BUT it should not hurt.

    No pain no gain is an awful theory but like I said before it's job security for me so have at it. You don't need that pain to get results.:noway:
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