If you don't get sore muscles, is your workout worthless?

[Anonymous]

When I do the reps and sets, it would burn like hell. But the next day, I don't get sore muscles from the workout. So was all that for nothing? Am I not building muscles if they don't feel sore afterwards? Body weight exercises by the way.

[oddwaffle]

Yes and no. Soreness is usually due to your muscle getting their collective asses handed to them and had to scramble for a rapid upgrade. While they are trying to collect themselves, they tend to moan about it for days.

When you don't really feel any soreness then your muscles are keeping up with your exercise and getting used to them. This means you will not have a rapid muscle upgrade but you still burn your calories. You muscles will still develop but it's a lot slower.

Since you want to get toned up, you will want some muscles. You don't have to build a lot of it so no need for those weights. Most body weight exercises can build your muscles and have a tendency to keep your whole body toned. Look at those martial artists, they don't have disproportionate body parts. Push up, squats, pull ups and some other exercises will do well enoguh for you.

[Phoenix98]

That soreness is called the DOMs effect ( delayed onset muscle soreness ) and it's not supposed to be permanent you'll have it for a little while, while your muscles get used to the workout but overtime they will grow accustomed to the beating so to speak. And won't become sore or as sore the next day.

But the muscles will be worked just as hard as before you just won't be in pain the next day, so rest assured your muscles are working just as hard. Just because you don't feel sore the next day does not mean your muscles aren't being worked.

Source: studying at ISSA to become a professional trainer.

[Asker]

This helped. Thank you.

[Phoenix98]

You're welcome.

[jesshkah]

False, you don't have to be sore to be building muscle. You should measure it in progress, so like if a month from now you're still only able to do the same amount of things you've been doing, then yea you haven't but I highly doubt that will be the case.

Muscle soreness usually occurs when you make your muscles do something that they just aren’t used to doing. Your workouts aren’t any more or less effective, your body just got a lot better at adapting to and recovering from the stress exercise is placing on it.

[Asker]

I do different things every day though, depends on my mood.

[jesshkah]

Yea but you said body weight exercises only, so I'm sure the range of stuff you do is about the same week over week.

[Asker]

Pretty much. Is that a good thing?

[jesshkah]

It's not a good or bad thing, but that's the answer to your question lol. If the range of stuff you do is about the same then your body is used to those exercises and will recover from them more quickly. It doesn't mean that it's less effective of a workout.

[Asker]

Oh OK good to hear that i haven't been busting my ass for nothing

[jesshkah]

Nope, I'm sure you're doing great! :)

[BertMacklinFBI]

you can maintain and not get sore, so no it's not useless

[Asker]

I don't want to maintain. I want to tone up

[heavensgift2girls]

It isn't worthless. Any activity is better than nothing. At least you aren't losing muscle. You have likely plateaued as your body now sees that kind of activity as normal. Occasionally you have to change your workout so that it continues to challenge your muscles.

[Asker]

I do different body weight exercises every day, and focus on only one or two body parts a day.

[heavensgift2girls]

I don't know your routine, and I am not an expert, but I would try to switch to new types of exercises to target those same body parts if you can. Also try adding more weight with fewer reps, or lower weight with more reps. Your muscles need to feel something a little different than what you have been giving them.

[Asker]

I'll See what i can do to add weights. Thanks.

[UncagedAgent]

Worthless, no definitely not. All work is good work, so you're working out isn't a waste. They being said it might be ineffective, you could try increased reps, using pyramid reps, drop sets, supersets...
Try to realize that all gains don't come from pain OP.

[howzit2015]

during strength training my muscles don't get sore. I work out 3 times a during this phase, and my lift goes up huge amounts. So I don't think you need to be sore in order to get a good workout, but it depends on what you're doing I guess.

[shiller]

Sore muscles aren't exactly a good thing to have. People also recover at a different rate. Maybe you need to increase the reps, set, weight, speed or recovery if you feel that your current methods are no longer satisfactory.

[BCRanger10]

No. You're just doing something that you're used to. Even so, it's not a wasted workout. You're still burning fat and calories.

[TripleAce]

Depends the context.

How long have you been working out for, consistently?

[Asker]

Been doing short workouts at home only, for almost 3 months now with max. 3 breaks in one month

[TripleAce]

The thing is with body weight you won't get very sore either way... you adapt fast when it comes to body weight

Have you been making it harder? Like doing more?

[Asker]

I just try to hit my pain limit. I think it has Götzen a bit higher since when i first started

[TripleAce]

Pain limit may not be enough... the way you train has a lot to do with it

How many sets do you do may I ask, use any exercise as an example

[Asker]

Example on leg days, I do 15-25 reps, 3 sets of each movement

[TripleAce]

Yea that won't be anywhere near the amount you need for soreness, especially after 3 months using only body weight...

Try this
Go until you can't do one more movement...3 sets of that... could be around 100 reps lol... see what I mean?

So do up to 100 or until you can't do anymore..
Wait like 2 minutes max
Another 100 or until you can't do anymore
One more time

3 - 4 times... so thats about 300-400 leg movements

[Asker]

I think 100 is too much. Don't forget a girl's body is different than a guy's.

[TripleAce]

As many as you can or 100. So maybe 60 is enough for you or 50, 45, 75 I dont know, try it and let me know how far you were able to go

Yes its true you dont always need to be sore but in your case you're not sore because you're simply not stressing the muscle enough

[Iron_Man]

Of course not. After a while your muscles get use to the hard training and you don't get sore anymore unless you do a different kind of workout

[Mesmaeker]

They should be sore a little bit when the goal of the training is muscle gain. (Damage and recuperation.) Body weight exercises demand a lot of reps. Much more then dumbells etc.

[Zanecyber]

This happens to me as well, and no it's not for nothing if u get a good pump ( assuming ur going for muscle) then ur doing the right thing even if u don't get sore. If going for muscle it's all about the pump not soreness.

[BubbleBoy69]

"If it's not hurting you then it is not changing you"

[bcromartie]

Soreness is not proof of adequate working out. The soreness doesn't even come from working out.

[Asker]

Then from what? Muscles being strained, right?

[bcromartie]

In a sense. It's caused by muscle damage, which isn't muscle strain, and inflammation due to that muscle damage. Think of it as the difference between challenging yourself to do slightly better than your normal 1 mile run and forcing yourself to suddenly run a marathon; when your muscles are challenged they don't (and shouldn't) hurt at all, or very much, but when you overexert you just damage your body over and over again and it takes time to heal which is why it hurts so bad.

[bcromartie]

Basically one is traumatic and the other is isn't.

[Asker]

So soreness actually is not a good thing?

[bcromartie]

No, it is a very bad thing. The more sore you are the more damaged the muscle (and free radicals and inflammation and stuff) and the longer the recovery.

[Asker]

OK thank you.

[bcromartie]

No, no, I'm just a man. It's just a different perspective but I'm sure others are more right than I am. That's just how the world works.

[TonyRyanAgain]

Not useless, but you're not really gaining if you aren't breaking down your muscles.

[Asker]

What do you mean breaking down?

[TonyRyanAgain]

Muscle gain comes by breaking down your muscles continuously forcing them to get bigger when they heal. If you don't get sore, you aren't doing that.

[Asker]

I don't know how to though. Like when doing reps, it would burn like hell until I sweat and can't do it anymore without rest. But the next day, they still aren't sore.

[TonyRyanAgain]

More weight and reps. Your muscles plateau at a certain point and become "used" to a routine. You need to switch it up somehow, change exercises, take less breaks, work a different group of muscles, etc.

[Asker]

Take less breaks... I just do whatever body part I feel like focusing on that day lol I try to not skip more than 3 days a month though

[TonyRyanAgain]

I meant between sets. Try HIIT.

en.m.wikipedia.org/.../High-intensity_interval_training

[Asker]

Tried that. Can't keep up just yet. My knees hurt and It's wayyyy too hot which makes everything worse

[Asker]

Plus, HIIT is more for cardio, right?

[TonyRyanAgain]

Typically, what kinds of workouts do you usually do?

[Asker]

Just at home body weight workouts or with like a big bottle of water for extra weight for biceps and triceps lol

[Asker]

For cardio (if i feel like it) i would do like half hour to 50 min dance Aerobic stuff)

[TonyRyanAgain]

Then yeah, just change what muscles you're using like, instead on biceps, do hammers, or alternate between both.

[TonyRyanAgain]

Of* not on.

[Asker]

What are Hammers?

[TonyRyanAgain]

https://youtu.be/TwD-YGVP4Bk

[Asker]

Oh yeah i do that movements for the triceps (elbow up behind the head) with a water bottle since weights are not easy to get :( will try the Front one. Thanks

[Anonymous]

Soreness is not a good measure of workout quality.

[Asker]

Then what is?

[Asker]

How do I know my workout is not all for nothing?

[Opinion Owner]

Progress over time. Are you getting stronger? Are you achieving the body recomposition goals you want? You say you're doing body weight exercises. If your goal is 'toning' (which means building muscle fibers) you ultimately should be aiming not to do -more- body weight exercises (which is an endurance increase) but rather more challenging body weight exercises.

[Asker]

Like what? I have noticed some slight signs of muscles under my fats lol that weren't there before

[genericname85]

In my experience, you stop getting sore after some time so i'd say no that's not true.

[idiotmanchild]

Nope, that just means your muscles have adapted to the wear and tear.

[ILikeToTalkToPeople]

It probably means you should do more, I would think...

[06CuriousMind]

You should start using Weight

[skeptic007]

not really it's more if you don't sweat

[WomboComboo]

no pain no gain

[Polocrew]

Lmao at replies

[hazoplmeught]

lmao at this reply for not being a reply criticizing other replys lol

[Polocrew]

@hazoplmeught lmao at other replies not even being nowhere right and lmao at your reply for not even knowing a reply about reply

[TheFlak38]

Not always.