If you're not sore the next day, does that mean your previous workout was a failure?

[xijixxijiy]

This question spawned from a thread I made last night which raised some interesting questions... I always believed that if I'm not sore, I'm not making strength gains, which is why I'd perform drop sets (doing as many reps as I can, lowering weight and then continuing) so I'd be extremely sore the next day. From what I've heard, however, being sore mostly is for appearances and just makes you look bigger (although it's not working for me lolo), whereas doing less reps more weight is what increases strength; the reason, however, why I never do less reps more weight is because at the end of the workout/next day I feel like I didn't do enough because I did so few reps, and then I don't feel sore the next day.

So I ask you, do you still make progress when you're not sore? Should I try doing low rep high weight and seeing my results (progress-wise)? I plan on trying it anyway, today is probably biceps so I'm not sure what kind of workout i should do... 3x8 seems to be meh, maybe 4x5? i dunno.

[IH8CARDIO]

This is one of those questions that could have you reading on this forum for about a week straight if you searched some. Opinions vary. I'm not very interested in debating and arguing about it, but my opinion, from my experience, is this: no, soreness doesn't equal a great workout.

My opinion comes from the fact that I rarely get sore. I get sore after a layoff from the gym, or when I do an exercise I am not used to, or when I fall asleep on the couch with my neck in an awkward position.

I've gone through months of training with great results and only been sore once or twice.

But again, opinions vary. I once spoke with a doctor who started his own gym and was training guys with infrequent, brief high-intensity workouts. He told me that if I wasn't sore I didn't really have the best workout I could have. He argued that soreness was - for everyone - a measure of a successful workout. I told him thanks and moved on to another gym and continued to train, not limp around the house, and grow bigger and stronger. But who knows? Maybe I'm just weird. Maybe I would have grown more had I done drop set after drop set and tried to get sore every workout.

[HeartofaLion]

now pay attention to what i say. it can get confusing.


BEING sore is an indication of a good workout, BUT NOT BEING sore is not an indication of a bad one.

[fbcoach]

I could give you the biochemical/physiological reason for soreness, but I won't. Soreness is in NO WAY NO HOW an indicator of a good workout. Success in strength training/bodybuilding comes in the form of progression. If you want to get sore, go run a marathon. Your entire body will be sore. Again..PROGRESSION is the only indication of a good workout.

[Turbulence24]

Regardless of soreness or not, I don't think it's right to say that a previous workout would be considered a failure. Whether or not soreness dictates optimal gains is irrelevant - working out will have a net gain on muscle and/or strength, unless it's an injury or some freak situation. I'm never sore the next day after working some muscle groups, but I know that I am getting stronger because my weights increase weekly. Just my 2c

[ironwill2008]

I could give you the biochemical/physiological reason for soreness, but I won't. Soreness is in NO WAY NO HOW an indicator of a good workout. Success in strength training/bodybuilding comes in the form of progression. If you want to get sore, go run a marathon. Your entire body will be sore. Again..PROGRESSION is the only indication of a good workout.

^^^^This. One word for you, OP: progression.

[xijixxijiy]

I could give you the biochemical/physiological reason for soreness, but I won't. Soreness is in NO WAY NO HOW an indicator of a good workout. Success in strength training/bodybuilding comes in the form of progression. If you want to get sore, go run a marathon. Your entire body will be sore. Again..PROGRESSION is the only indication of a good workout.

If you want to please go ahead, I'm a biology major so I'd be interested in it.
But yeah, good information every one. I tried lifting lower reps higher weights today, hopefully I'll see some good progress :]

[madgravity34]

^^^^This. One word for you, OP: progression.

To the OP, if you want a perfect example of the principles behind this, take a look at Max-OT. You might not agree with the whole program and some here dont, but take the time to read the introduction and you will leave with a great deal more information on proper warm-up, importance of "pump," and where soreness stands in the scheme of things.

All in all its the weight you move that counts in strength training. No more, no less.

[samakaballer]

i rarely get sore on bench press unless I increase the weight , if i just do an extra few reps then i did the week b4 i feel nothing but still make gains usually... upping the weight just shocks the muscles i think so it makes the muscles sore or maybe im wrong lol, and legs get sore everytime! If u never did squats b4 in ur life ur going to be sore for a week straightor longer if u do sets of 5 , real heavy

[xXDeadmanXx]

You should pick a proven program rather than designing one for yourself. Working out until your body is sore does not guarantee that you will get bigger or stronger. Increasing your numbers on the lifts will.

[CookAndrewB]

now pay attention to what i say. it can get confusing.

BEING sore is an indication of a good workout, BUT NOT BEING sore is not an indication of a bad one.

You are, indeed, confused...

I could give you the biochemical/physiological reason for soreness, but I won't. Soreness is in NO WAY NO HOW an indicator of a good workout. Success in strength training/bodybuilding comes in the form of progression. If you want to get sore, go run a marathon. Your entire body will be sore. Again..PROGRESSION is the only indication of a good workout.

^^^^
This. Reps to you.

[fbcoach]

If you want to please go ahead, I'm a biology major so I'd be interested in it.
But yeah, good information every one. I tried lifting lower reps higher weights today, hopefully I'll see some good progress :]

Sure,
Working a muscle can cause some damage to the muscle fibers themselves called micro-trauma. This causes the inflammatory response. This also causes an increase in white blood cells, that in turn causes a release of enzymes called lyosomes. Lyosomes are enzymes that breakdown and metabolize tissues and increase the inflammatory response. It is this response that is thought to increase the sensistivity of the nerve endings caused by a chemical called PGE2. Repetitive (like running) and eccentric exercise causes most of this tissue breakdown. Again, the soreness isn't an indicator of a successful weight training/bodybuilding workout....PROGRESSION is what it is all about. I hope you didn't think I was being a smart_ss when answering you. I just hate to see younger guys being mislead by misinformation.

[shaneee]

Didn't read the rest of the thread, but no soreness doesn't mean a great workout and if you don't get sore that doesn't mean it was a bad workout...Generally you stop getting very sore at all after you workout for awhile and are used to the exercises...but i think for everyone not sure but for me anyways when i do a new exercise in my workout or switch up the whole routine ill get sore again for a few weeks and that's the usual cycle

[tryingtofocus]

I am sore right now as I haven't worked out in many years, but not as sore as when I did free weights. I use a bowflex right now and just trying to lose some weight while not losing much muscle.

I was always under the impression you start out sore and then keep progressing and the soreness isn't around as much? Maybe I was told wrong years ago, or it is just many different opinions......

[ptwa9]

If you want to get sore, go run a marathon.

You mean a marathon provides unusual adaptation stimulus?
What about people that run supermarathons... will they get sore with regular ones?

^^^^This. One word for you, OP: progression.

\/\/\/\/This. <<<<And that.

[USMSRN]

I love waking up the day after a workout and feeling beat down. It gets me motivated feeling as If I have broken down the body and now have a day to re-up for the next beat down.

Only happens with legs (squatting 3x a week) and when I add new exercises.

[CookAndrewB]

\/\/\/\/This. <<<<And that.

You are a moron.

[CookAndrewB]

I love waking up the day after a workout and feeling beat down. It gets me motivated feeling as If I have broken down the body and now have a day to re-up for the next beat down.

If you could lift, and gain, without soreness... why would you WANT that soreness?

[Miketoc]

If you could lift, and gain, without soreness... why would you WANT that soreness?

Come on baby make it hurt so good!

[stracin]

Jun 24th, 485lb deadlift, not sore
July 1st, 500lb deadlift, not sore
July 8th, 510lb deadlift, not sore
July 15th, 520lb deadlift, not sore
July 22nd, 530lb deadlift, still not sore

In my experience, if you're getting sore, you can workout more frequently. Soreness seems to be an indication of deconditioning to me.

[ptwa9]

Jun 24th, 485lb deadlift, not sore
July 1st, 500lb deadlift, not sore
July 8th, 510lb deadlift, not sore
July 15th, 520lb deadlift, not sore
July 22nd, 530lb deadlift, still not sore

In my experience, if you're getting sore, you can workout more frequently. Soreness seems to be an indication of deconditioning to me.

You can't expect to get sore off of 1 rep :P

[CookAndrewB]

Come on baby make it hurt so good!

Making it hurt so good didn't help John get big...

You can't expect to get sore off of 1 rep :P

Why not? Is there a cosmic rule against the possibility of this happening?

[ptwa9]

Why not? Is there a cosmic rule against the possibility of this happening?

Yes. Rule's out of this world.

[DesertForLife]

I could give you the biochemical/physiological reason for soreness, but I won't. Soreness is in NO WAY NO HOW an indicator of a good workout. Success in strength training/bodybuilding comes in the form of progression. If you want to get sore, go run a marathon. Your entire body will be sore. Again..PROGRESSION is the only indication of a good workout.

Progression is what its about. Sure after working out a new body part you'll be sore, but your body will adapt and only become stronger as a result.

[zephed56]

Jun 24th, 485lb deadlift, not sore
July 1st, 500lb deadlift, not sore
July 8th, 510lb deadlift, not sore
July 15th, 520lb deadlift, not sore
July 22nd, 530lb deadlift, still not sore

In my experience, if you're getting sore, you can workout more frequently. Soreness seems to be an indication of deconditioning to me.

jesus christ dude that is some sweet progression there.