If I am NOT sore after weight training......

kristalfrissy
kristalfrissy Posts: 158 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
If I do weight traning and I am NOT sore afterwards (the next day or whatever), does that mean that I am not working hard enough?

Sometimes I am really sore after weights but sometimes I am not at all so it makes me wonder. When I am sore I KNOW i did some good.

Thanks

Replies

  • js370
    js370 Posts: 140
    If I do weight traning and I am NOT sore afterwards (the next day or whatever), does that mean that I am not working hard enough?

    No, you don't have to be sore. I used to think this too, but as of late I'm finding that I can still build muscle without being sore.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    soreness is not an indicator of progress.
  • Anthonydaman
    Anthonydaman Posts: 854 Member
    The soreness comes from micro tears in your muscle, exercise being the cause. It is not always an indicator of progression.
  • AggieCass09
    AggieCass09 Posts: 1,867 Member
    try increasing the weights and/or doing multi-joint movements and see what happens.

    if you are questioning IF you are working hard enough, regardless of sore-ness, you probably arent.

    Lift heavy. Eat a lot. Look awesome!
  • Vegan_Runner
    Vegan_Runner Posts: 133 Member
    Slow your reps down. See if this tires your muscle out better for you.
  • BlueInkDot
    BlueInkDot Posts: 702 Member
    If you are not sore, you aren't making microtears in your muscles. Lift heavier weights such that you are in pain at rep 8 or 10 and can't lift any more. Your last three reps have to be very very difficult. This is how you build muscle.

    Heavier weights = Microtears = Pain = Muscle increase

    I'm reading New Rules of Lifting for Women, and it's a good read. Maybe try it out. :)

    Good luck <3
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
    I had this same question when I started the New Rules of Lifting for Women workout because I felt like I was busting my butt and was NEVER sore. But I stuck with it and at the end of 6 weeks I was benching more, squatting more, lunging with heavier weights, etc. So after that, I would say that being sore doesn't really indicate anything.
  • BlueInkDot
    BlueInkDot Posts: 702 Member
    Some people are saying you don't have to be sore to build muscle, which is confusing to me. Maybe they have found such a thing, but I am not familiar with it. *shrug*

    I always make sure I'm sore at the end of a workout. I dunno.
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
    If I do weight traning and I am NOT sore afterwards (the next day or whatever), does that mean that I am not working hard enough?

    Sometimes I am really sore after weights but sometimes I am not at all so it makes me wonder. When I am sore I KNOW i did some good.

    Thanks
    If I'm not sore I need to increase the weight of change something up. What exactly are you doing?
  • bighouse51
    bighouse51 Posts: 30 Member
    As stated several times, soreness is not an indicator of progression. If you recall, when you started weight training, you went through stages of soreness after working every body part. It's also referred to as "breakdown". When you start a program, you recruit fast twitch muscle fiber as well as the core muscle you are working. Over time, the fast twitch fibers become accustomed to the strain reducing inflammation and soreness after a workout. That is likely the reason you are not feeling as sore as you have in the past. Now, while soreness is not a sign of progress... stagnant training (the same things over and over for after 8 or so weeks) can inhibit new growth. It may be time for you to target specific muscle groups with an entirely different set of exercises. My bet is that you will once again experience soreness; however, most likely DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) which will come 36 to 48 hours after your workout. This means that while you have engaged your fast twitch fibers, they handled the stress and your target core muscle group trained reaped the rewards of your new routine.

    For the sake of saving space and time on your post, I will not post alternate training strategies... That said, feel free to friend me if effectively changing up your routine sounds like something you'd be interested in.

    Hope that helped.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Some people are saying you don't have to be sore to build muscle, which is confusing to me. Maybe they have found such a thing, but I am not familiar with it. *shrug*

    I always make sure I'm sore at the end of a workout. I dunno.

    Soreness usually comes with unfamiliarity. Progress is measured by progress (IE: did I lift more weight than last time?) not by broscience.

    Anecdotal: I doubled the weight I squat. The only time squatting made me sore was the first two workouts.
  • kaydensmom12
    kaydensmom12 Posts: 338
    I do not get sore after working out most of the time, yet I am still increasing weights and seeing lots of progress in my body.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    Go,us! We are bad !!!
  • withervein
    withervein Posts: 224 Member
    I however have been incredibly sore the past few workouts and I'm starting to think I'm doing something wrong. Being sore the next day is one thing, being sore for three days...

    I'm definitely not turning into the Hulk, so clearly pain does not equal gain or I'd be ripping the hell outta my shirts.
  • LBachynsky
    LBachynsky Posts: 64
    Make sure you are properly warming up, cooling down, and stretching. You can also try the foam rollers on muscles that are sore to milk out the lactic acid buildup.

    Speaking of lactic acid, I thought that is what caused my soreness 2 days after my workout and not micro tears.
  • kristalfrissy
    kristalfrissy Posts: 158 Member
    As stated several times, soreness is not an indicator of progression. If you recall, when you started weight training, you went through stages of soreness after working every body part. It's also referred to as "breakdown". When you start a program, you recruit fast twitch muscle fiber as well as the core muscle you are working. Over time, the fast twitch fibers become accustomed to the strain reducing inflammation and soreness after a workout. That is likely the reason you are not feeling as sore as you have in the past. Now, while soreness is not a sign of progress... stagnant training (the same things over and over for after 8 or so weeks) can inhibit new growth. It may be time for you to target specific muscle groups with an entirely different set of exercises. My bet is that you will once again experience soreness; however, most likely DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) which will come 36 to 48 hours after your workout. This means that while you have engaged your fast twitch fibers, they handled the stress and your target core muscle group trained reaped the rewards of your new routine.

    For the sake of saving space and time on your post, I will not post alternate training strategies... That said, feel free to friend me if effectively changing up your routine sounds like something you'd be interested in.

    Hope that helped.


    This makes a lot of sense cause I tend to do some of the same exercises when I workout alone. When my husband goes with me--he has me do different exercises and I always get sore when he works me out and I don't think that I work any harder with him.

    Thanks for the posts everybody.
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