Thread: Does muscle soreness = good workout?

Muscle soreness doesn't mean much on its own. Just measure your progress. If your goal is strength and you can lift more next session, then your previous one was productive. If your goal is mass and you are gaining mass, then your workouts are productive. There is no way to tell if you workout was successful for sure until you check the results.

Originally Posted by Rekd

I have always felt that if I do not get any muscle soreness 12 - 24 hours after a workout, then I have not worked hard enough. I have assumed that the soreness comes because I have stressed the muscle, thereby causing it to grow.

I always to at least three warmup sets, and always stretch after a workout, and I have been lifting for about 16 months now, so it's not as if my body is still getting used to being abused this way. Does anyone know if my assumption is right, or is there more too it? Does diet play a part in muscle soreness?

Cheers,
Rekd

I agree with CowPimp.

On a personal experience note, I never get sore from my workouts anymore. My goals are strength and so I have very low volume, high intensity workouts. I think that once you're at the point such that you no longer get sore, yet you keep making gains, your body has simply adapted to the pain, but your muscles haven't adapted to the load because it constantly increases. That's just how I like to think of it though.