Muscle Soreness

We’re often asked whether it’s important to feel sore after working out.

If you’re not sore, are you getting stronger?

The short answer is, improvements in strength are best measured by whether you can lift heavier for longer.

If you can do that, then it doesn’t matter how sore you are after workouts.

Soreness after workouts is caused by small tears in muscle. When the tears heal, the muscle is stronger.

But as your muscles get used to exercise, they’re able to strengthen without causing soreness.

If you feel sore after exercise, it probably means you did new exercises or didn’t quite recover enough through hydration, stretching, and rest.

So if you feel sore after every workout, you might want to talk with a fitness professional about ways to improve your recovery.

Because at the end of the day, strength is measured by how heavy you can lift, not by how sore your muscles are.