The experts (as in scientific experts with experimental studies to back them up) can't even agree on exactly what causes delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) at the cellular level though there are a number of theories floating about (lactic acid build up, microscopic muscle tears, inflammation similar to an immune response etc). Nor can they agree on whether DOMS is good or bad for you.
My own take (which is just that) is that DOMS is good and something to be aimed for in every workout as it is a sign that sufficient damage was done to elicit growth, on the other hand once the stimulus for muscle growth is there, there is no more need to re-damage the muscle to elicit more growth till it has fully recovered i.e. wait till DOMS is over before retraining. I say training with DOMS is not a good idea but many people would disagree with that.
The thing to appreciate is that your muscles grow out of the gym not in it. The gym work provides the stimulus for the muscle to grow but in the process actually breaks the muscle down and makes it weaker.
It is outside the gym when you are eating and sleeping that the muscle is actually growing bigger. Hence more time in the gym does not necessarily mean faster muscle growth but rather more time spent in a state of (what's the word) rest but with the biochemical signals (gene expressions) signaling the need to grow going on is what maximizes muscle growth.
If you are already sore then you are already in the growth zone so to speak and so no need to restimulate the muscle.
Your muscles response to being torn down at the microscopic level (microtears in the muscle at the internal cellular level not to be confused with macroscopic muscle tears which are bad) is to over repair itself so it is stronger than it was before it was attacked, it overcompensates for the damage so to speak.
This recovery takes time to happen (scientists say up to 3 to 4 days, personally I think from my own experience it can even be a week). You don't want to hit the muscle again before it has rebuilt to previous strength levels and then rebuilt to even higher overcompensation levels. Ideally you want to hit it at its overcompensation peak. Hitting it to soon before it has overcompensated means your strength levels will be going backwards or staying the same week to week.
Some people would disagree with me but I think that soreness is your bodies way of saying don't exercises me I am still in the recovery zone (which is exactly where you want to be).
If you are sore be happy (if you are not sore go and exercise).
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