Exercise! Love it or hate it, let's motivate each other to just DO IT!

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Old 03-17-2012, 06:36 PM   #1  
Up and at 'em...again!
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Default No muscle soreness with strength training? o_O

I've been losing weight steadily for about 14 months now, and I've been exercising the whole way -- just walking, mind you, but about 4-5 miles five days a week, so not just strolling.

Anyway, about three weeks ago I bit the bullet and had the fitness coordinator at the Y where I work design a strength training program for me (I needed some things tweaked because I have early onset osteoarthritis and a neurological disorder.) So. After the first session, I had muscle soreness (especially in my upper thighs) for three or four days afterwards. Like, to the point where if I dropped something on the floor, I seriously considered leaving it there because it was so painful to squat and pick it up. *L* It was nothing I couldn't bear, mind you, but it definitely reminded me that I had worked those muscles.

But then....after that first workout....the muscle soreness just *went away*. And never came back. Like, okay, my muscles will be slightly sore for, like, an hour after my workout, but after that, *nothing*. And I guess what I'm wondering is: does this absence of soreness mean that my workout isn't doing anything? Does it mean I'm doing something wrong, I wonder? I don't know.

Or (holy crap, I just thought about this) could it be making a difference that on the day I did my first workout, I just did my weight training and then went home, whereas after that, every time I did my weight training, I would then go into the cardio room and do thirty or forty minutes of working out in there?

I'm going to ask my trainer about it on Monday, but I'd really love to know if I'm the only person who's ever experienced this. I know I'm not *that* fit (though I wasn't a total noob when I started) but it just seems to me that, well...shouldn't this hurt at least a little?
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Old 03-17-2012, 06:59 PM   #2  
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It's a good question and one I puzzle over. I do BodyPump classes twice week and the first time or two I was sore like you say. Now, I "might" get a little twinge of something, but I'm not sore and I keep upping my weights in that class and I do them to the point of exhaustion (really can't do more at a higher weight and might need to skip a few reps at the new higher weight) and yep... Very little to no soreness afterward.

I must be getting stronger as when I went back to the gym two months ago after missing it for a month, I started doing chest weights at 5 kg. and now I'm doing 10 kgs. I was doing squats with 10 kgs and now I'm doing 20kgs. (many reps at varying speeds set to a full length 3 plus minute song).

Why is that I wonder the soreness is just there for that initial "wake up call" and then dies down?
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Old 03-17-2012, 08:47 PM   #3  
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I asked my trainer about this a while back and I remember him telling me that everyone heals up differently so maybe you just heal quickly. If your workout isn't too tough, maybe try increasing something like the duration or the weight you're using? Or try shifting what muscles you are using? For example, I worked my triceps yesterday and they're still a little sore today because I don't think they are very strong. Normally I don't think I work them quite as hard. Even if you aren't sore, you're still getting a workout though. I used to struggle to lift 8 pounds doing lats and now I can almost get 15 even though my arms are only minimally sore afterwards.

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Old 03-18-2012, 01:17 PM   #4  
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Delayed onset muscle soreness is a typical byproduct of using a muscle heavily for the first time in a while.

It's normal, and not a sign that you need to up your workout, for muscle soreness to only happen the first one or two times you do a particular kind of exercise.

Soreness is not an indicator that you've been working hard. Its absence is not a sign that you need to work harder.

For example: I only had muscle soreness the first time or two I lifted weights back in January. I'm now lifting far heavier weights than before (5-10lbs heavier each workout), so I'm obviously working harder, but my muscles aren't sore the next day.
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Old 03-19-2012, 09:16 AM   #5  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bopbot View Post
Delayed onset muscle soreness is a typical byproduct of using a muscle heavily for the first time in a while.

It's normal, and not a sign that you need to up your workout, for muscle soreness to only happen the first one or two times you do a particular kind of exercise.

Soreness is not an indicator that you've been working hard. Its absence is not a sign that you need to work harder.

For example: I only had muscle soreness the first time or two I lifted weights back in January. I'm now lifting far heavier weights than before (5-10lbs heavier each workout), so I'm obviously working harder, but my muscles aren't sore the next day.
I agree. Lack of soreness doesn't necessarily mean you're not working enough. Every body is different.

In my group ex class that I teach, I always ask if there was any soreness from the time before. Answers always vary.

For example, I'm the only one with sore biceps after an arm work out. Yes, I lift more weight than the other participants, but consistantly, I'm most sore. Other times, I won't feel a thing in my core, and the others complain they were sore for days. We are all different.

The best thing is, you are in tune to your body. Getting to know what makes you sore and the level of good sore you need to feel to seem satisfied is most important.

Know, too, that that can vary with plateaus, illness and who knows what else. What made you sore once, and then not, may show up again as sore at a later date.

Just keep it up!!
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Old 03-19-2012, 11:50 AM   #6  
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in my own experience, i *always* get DOMS after a workout but that's because i ALWAYS work at top capacity (my sets are usually 3-4 in the 1-3 rep range, not including warmup sets).

that is obviously not THE workout that everybody must follow.

that being said, i can't do cardio after a weight routine - waste of time because i don't have the energy - but a nice swim for a half hour or so followed by a soujourn in the hot tub seriously reduced muscle soreness.
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Old 03-19-2012, 12:21 PM   #7  
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I sometimes don't get muscle soreness either and it confuses me. I like being sore, it reminds me that I've worked hard. I guess if you heal quickly like Nadya said, you might not get muscle soreness. I mean, if that's the case - then that's pretty cool too, though, right?
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