If your not sore, then it's not a good workout?

Hey, i was wondering about this. I have always went by, if i were sore the next day, then i had a good workout. But sometimes, for example when i do triceps and/or biceps and i do the good old MaxOT workout, the next day, i'm not sore. Does that mean that i didn't work myself as much? Will i still get the gains as i would if i were sore taking into account that everything else i do is the same (amount of rest, eating habits)?

Does that mean that i didn't work myself as much?

No, i dont think so. I havent been sore after a workout for a few weeks but im still seeing overall gains. Your body could have caught up with your routine, meaing your body is adapting. Try changing your routine. Doing different exercises could shock your muscles another way that your body isnt use to.

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Feeling sore isn't really a good indication of whether you've had a good workout or not. I used to think the same thing, but since coming here I've learned that soreness is due to stretching a muscle more than overloading it- In fact, I rarely feel sore anymore, but I still see consistent gains.

Call me old fashioned, but I believe soreness is a great sign of a hard work-out. Arnold mentioned this in his encyclopedia of Bodybuilding as well. Legs and chest are the ones I feel the most. When I trained heavy (until you barf or pass-out), I would be sore for up to 6 or 7 days at times on my legs. It seems the more muscle you gain, the more there is to get sore. Lift heavy, pyramid (15, 10, 8, 6, 6, 4), and kill that muscle! Change it up every 2 to 4 weeks. Change up sets, reps, order of wrk-out, heavy to light, etc...

Keep your body guessing. Make it adapt! make it grow!

If you never jog and you all of the sudden begin jogging 2 miles a day, guess what? It will be tuff. After 2 weeks or so, it will be easy as pumpkin pie. Keep up the change, make sure your form is perfect. Lighten-up if you have to, to feel it more.

Be reasonable though. There is a difference between soreness and over-training. You will know the difference.

Hope this helps a bit?

It may mean that you need to add a few more pounds to your lifts... Also, once muscles have been worked to the max regularly, for extended periods of time, they get used to the lactic acid, and you will get over the soreness... Do you take any supplements? That can also make a difference, depending on the supplement.

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Hey, i do taste supplements, it's a weight gain called Massive Whey Gainer. 55g of protein per glass. Yea, i do my chest workout once a week and after a workout, i'm sore for about 5 days, so being sore is from the lactic acid buildup? And your body will get used to it?

I've been pretty much sore.. on everything but maybe back and always biceps. I think it's related to the stretch I get. Chest is easy to get sore on. So are legs. Triceps if I stretch them. I've not gotten used to anything. But I do switch up my workouts often. So it's not like I do the same exercises on the same day, same reps and sets. If I did, maybe I'd get used to it. Soreness lasts for about 2-4 days.

As far as soreness being an indicator of a good workout? No. There's plenty of research that does not like DOMS to strength or size. The best measure of that is simply take a journal with you and progressively overload (beat) your last weeks workout.

If you can, then sore or not, it's forward progress.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com