Your first few weeks at the gym or at your workout area is probably one of the most exciting parts of your fitness journey.
You feel muscle soreness after your workout and you feel accomplished knowing you’ve achieved your goal for the day.
However, a month passes by and you start to wonder why you don’t feel sore after workout routines anymore. Is this a red flag you should watch out for? Does this mean your program is no longer effective? Does it also mean that you did not work hard enough?
If you can closely relate to these questions, this article is definitely for you. Let me share with you the reasons why you don’t get sore after working out anymore and the realities behind this common workout dilemma.
No Pain Does Not Automatically Mean There’s No Gain
Ever heard of DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness? It’s the pain and soreness you feel after two days of working out.
It is because your muscles are doing activities they are not really used to. We know for a fact that the body replaces damaged muscles and forms new ones after a workout.
While feeling pain is a good sign after performing your routine, not feeling soreness after a few more weeks does not mean that your workout program is no longer effective.
No muscle soreness just means that your body has well adjusted to the routine and you’ve coped up with the intensity of your workout.
Other Reasons You Don’t Get Sore Anymore
Not feeling sore after workouts can also be because you’ve started consuming the right kinds of food and the adequate hours of rest and sleep.
One more possible reason for the absence of soreness is that you’ve done some pretty good warm-up exercises before working out.
Another thing is that soreness usually depends on a number of factors such as the type of training, workout intensity, age and fitness level.
There’s no one-size-fits-all determiner when it comes to workouts so you should not be worried when you hear about other people’s workout stories.
What You Should Really Focus On
The most important thing you should prioritize over muscle soreness is your progress.
Check how much you’ve gained if your goal is to build muscles and check how much you’ve lost if your goal is to lose weight.
Always have a weighing scale, tape measure or anything that can help you track your progress real time.
Conclusion
Muscle soreness is not the only indicator of an effective workout program. It’s simply a signal from your body every time you introduce a new workout program or you perform intense movements you have never done before.
The main idea is to check how much progress you’ve made and to continuously find the workout program that will work best for you and your body.
Dedicate your time in making progress and checking the results after a few weeks instead of worrying about muscle soreness.
If you’re a beginner, you can also try to lessen soreness by learning good stretching or warm-up exercises. Keep in mind that no pain, no gain in workouts doesn’t have to be awfully painful.