Does soreness = growth?

[Kappy]

Kind of a stupid question, but is soreness the day after a good indicator of how good your work-out is?

I've always felt that your soreness the next day is an indicator of how much you're growing, and I just recently realized that I've never heard anyone say that and it's possible that that's just a stupid misconception of mine. I mean, obviously unusual soreness can indicate something -- like maybe you don't get enough protein in your diet or something -- but if, for instance, you lift weights and don't feel sore at all, does that mean you aren't growing?

 

[timtim]

no, doesnt mean youre growing. i never really feel sore anymore. once in awhile.

 

[ExtraMile]

usually if u up the reps or change your workout dramatically your sore... or if you do rest pause calf raises then your sore every time...

 

[musketeer]

Nope.

The only use for soreness is an indicator to tell you to lay off a muscle group because it wont be ready for a heavy session until the soreness leaves. I suppose it also tells you exactly where you are working i.e. if you are trying to blast your lats with rows and your rear delts and traps are sore ten you're doing it wrong!

 

[trauck1506]

I would say it just means your not used to the weight or the workout.

 

[b fold the truth]

Soreness means you are sore.

Having a good workout meant you had a good workout.

 

[Unit 2005]

Depends. You need to push your body and take it places its never been before. Using the same poundages, for the same reps will only maintain what you have. If you want to grow you need to give your body a reason to....more weight, more reps, less rest etc. Your body adapts very quickly, it does not want to grow bigger muscles by itself - you have to force it to! Any routine can be great but a great routine wont be great forever. For example, If you have been using the same routine day in, day out for years, then a sudden change in routine will cause muscle soreness. This type of shocking of the muscles and subsequently muscle soreness will equate to new growth and progress, however, hammering a muscle to the point that its sore for over a week indicats over training and will result (if repeated long enough) in catabolism and a drop in strength.

I change up my routine all the time, the longest i will stay with a routine is 12 weeks in the offseason when massing up and juicing. Even then there are little changes in rep range, order of exercise and so on.

Off the juice, its changed every 6-8 weeks. Usually changing things to any routine every week, take chest for example, start with flat press one week, incline the next.

 

[DZLS]

you don't grow unless you are recovering... that only happens when you sleep...

 

[LucSulla]

No. I almost never get doms, and my legs and back have grown a ton over the last year.

 

[trauck1506]

No. I almost never get doms, and my legs and back have grown a ton over the last year.

I used to never get sore and I don't really know why I do now. Sometimes I'll be sore for a week and a half and it's now my 3rd month without missing a whole week. Should you work through it or not work that body part? I'm not really sure because this didn't use to happen, but I guess maxing out 2 times a week and doing more than you would on the last week of the 5x5 wears you down. I've been skipping days and jumping around a lot so I don't actually have a set routine and it seems to be working out fairly well and there isn't a day I'm not sore.

 

[wills_got_rythm]

I only get sore when I take time off or I change my training routine...

 

[cobracock1979]

i get sore if I have 5 days or more off

 

[lockdownd7]

I used to never get sore and I don't really know why I do now. Sometimes I'll be sore for a week and a half and it's now my 3rd month without missing a whole week. Should you work through it or not work that body part? I'm not really sure because this didn't use to happen, but I guess maxing out 2 times a week and doing more than you would on the last week of the 5x5 wears you down. I've been skipping days and jumping around a lot so I don't actually have a set routine and it seems to be working out fairly well and there isn't a day I'm not sore.

If your rest, nutrition, and overall programming are on point, then work through it. Many times the best way to get rid of soreness is to work the muscle again.

---------------

As for soreness = growth, well, yes and no. A more accurate statement would just be that if you've done enough to create soreness, you've done enough on the training end to stimulate growth. However, you still have to get enough calories to support that growth. And, as others have noted, you don't have to inflict a bunch of soreness to signal growth.

 

[DZLS]

work through it, just decrease your workload a bit... getting blood flowing into the muscles is a good thing...