Ever been stuck on the couch after a hard workout, feeling like your muscles are on fire and wonder if that means you had a great workout? Let’s chat about soreness and if it is a good marker for the quality of your workout.
What is Muscle Soreness? You usually feel sore a day or two after working out, especially if you did something new or went extra hard. It happens due to tiny tears in your muscles, which sounds bad but is part of how muscles grow. Soreness is just your body reacting to those tears—not necessarily a sign of a killer workout.
Long story short, soreness isn't a sure-fire sign you worked hard. You can have a super tough session and not feel sore; and seasoned gym-goers might push themselves hard without feeling it the next day because their bodies are used to it. The more you do a particular workout, the less sore you'll get. (Except for band walks…those always hurt!) That doesn’t mean your workout isn’t challenging. It just means your body is getting smarter.
Instead of focusing on soreness, check for other progress markers like lifting more, running faster, or lasting longer. Those show you're getting stronger, not just sore. If you need additional help please contact us today…the personal trainers at Live Fit would love to help create a workout plan tailored to your body and needs.