But is there any truth to that belief?
Heres what soreness after a workout is actually hinting at.
Theres a term for the post-exercise aches: Delayed onset muscle soreness, a.k.a.DOMS, Dr. Eleazar explains.
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When you exercise, youre actually creating tiny tears in your muscle tissues.
For someone whos completely sedentary, something like power-walking could potentially trigger soreness, Dr. Eleazar says.
Another culprit are group workouts with minimal rest periodslike a high-intensity circuit-style class, for example.
If youre not fueling your body well, you will absolutely get more sore, Willsey says.
Your body needs quality nutrition and hydration so you can effectively rebuild and repair itself following a tough workout.
And if you dont give it that, your muscles may very well pay the price.
Whats more, there is a genetic component to soreness.
Some people just dont tend to get as sore as others, Dr. Willsey says.
So how much you door dontfeel the aftermath of your workout could boil down to your DNA.
So do it’s crucial that you be sore to progress at the gym?
Notably absent from the list of reasons you may be feeling sore?
A super-effective and efficient workout.
Not feeling sore after a workout is actually a good thing.
Feeling ache-free following exercise typically means your body is already used to the workout you performed.
In other words, your body is alreadyfamiliarwith the stimulus, Dr. Willsey says.
And thats actually something to celebrate, since it can indicate youre getting stronger, Ranellone points out.
And that would be counterproductive if your goal is to stick with a fitness routine for the long haul.
In sum, soreness isnt a metric worth chasing.
Not feeling sore after a workout shouldnt be the metric that determines whether you should probably push harder.
Thats because soreness is not the goal, Dr. Willsey says.
No hobbling to the toilet required.
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