[GypsyLove]

This always seems to happen to me. When I first start weight training I'll feel that worn out soreness the next day or 2 which tells me that I got a good workout in. After about a month it stops happening though. This time around I thought maybe my body was just getting used to the exercises that I was doing so I switched up a couple of them. Instead of using the chest press machine, I started using free weights and also doing dumbell flies for example.

That worked for 1 or 2 workouts but then the soreness went away again. I'm already maxed out on the weight I'm able to safely lift and my last set is until failure. Does the missing soreness mean I'm not being challenged enough anymore? If so how else can I change it up? How do I fix this? Thanks everyone for any advice!



P.S. I forgot to add that I'm currently doing 3 sets of 15 reps for each exercise. I do cardio every other day and my weight training is in between. so for example it's cardio-upper body-cardio-lower body-cardio-upper body-cardio-lower body etc....

[me4life]

not everyone gets sore. and some of it depends on if your feeding your muscles after...meaning having protein within so long it helps the muscles recover faster so you don't feel the soreness as much but if you are maxing out on weights and changing up the exercises every 4 to 6 weeks i wouldn't worry

[cdawnfine]

I would try changing the excersise. There are several excersises the work the same are while working other areas as well.....Say there are 5 different excersises for your shoulders do one kind one day and another kind another day this way you are changing your routine slightly. You can also decrease your weight and up your reps and see if that works. If you are going to a gym I am sure if you ask a trainer they will be more then happy to help you. And if you do not join a gym there are plenty out there that will give you a week free trial and you can use that to your advantage.

[Athenawithheart]

I don't think weight lifting has to hurt. I personally had to tone down my weight lifting because I was too sore to do my cardio workouts, then.

But, agreed, keep changing up your exercises. Maybe if you're doing machines, switch to more free weights, etc. You're doing awesome!

[GypsyLove]

Thanks everyone! I do belong to a gym and it's huge so I'm sure I can find other things to do. If anything I can always ask one of the trainers for advice.

[unwanted37lbs]

i never had soreness... even when i first started.. some machines were "killers" and even then i had no soreness.. i guess good exercise does not equals sore musels.

[JulieJ08]

You could also try increasing the weight and doing few reps. Try 12 instead of 15, then try 10 or 8.

[LandonsBaby]

As already stated, you don't have to be sore. And being sore does not mean you had a good workout.

[GypsyLove]

Ok I understand now what new things to try and also understand that I may not have soreness or need soreness. Back in 2003 I used to kickbox and our instructor always used to ask us if we felt the burn, was it a good burn or bad burn, and BURN BABY BURN!!!! lol I guess I just got it drilled into me that a good burn was a good thing. It made me feel very proud that I challenged myself to a new level so to speak. Of course back then I was also doing about 200 wide squats, 200 narrow squats, 100 round house kicks, 100 front kicks, and 200 crunches every other day, yea I really was a gluten for punishment!

[unwanted37lbs]

i also remember back in high school... i was doing some sports and sometimes did some leg excercice and remember i couldnt even use stairs the nest day - my legs would be sooooo sore. Or even wasnt be able to laugh because my abs were sore. But that was 10 years ago. Now whaver i do (even new stuff) its fine on my bosy... maybe we are sore when we are younger? Just a thought

[BlueToBlue]

Feeling the burn doesn't mean being sore afterwards. When my trainer asks me if I "feel the burn," he's referring to feeling a burning sensation in my muscles as I'm lifting, not being sore afterwards. And I do feel that burning sensation when I'm lifting, but I'm not always sore afterwards. Sometimes the burning will be so bad that I'll be sure I'm going to be sore afterwards and then I'm not. Sometimes I won't feel the burn much at all but will be completely sore afterwards.

For example--dead lifts are really easy for me. I can do them with a lot of weight and I can do them for a long time--my grip will give out long before my hamstrings will. It's hard for me to get to the point of failure with them. But if I do enough dead lifts with enough weight, I'll feel sore afterwards even though they felt totally easy as I was doing them.

Lunge or split jumps, on the other hand, are always hard for me. By about ten, I feel like I'm going to die. My trainer will have me do 20 or 30 in a row and it kills me every time. I can't even do that many without stopping to rest and there's no doubt that I'm feeling the burn by the time I'm done. But I'm rarely sore afterwards. They just aren't that kind of exercise.

I find that I only get sore if I'm using muscles that haven't been used in a while, if I'm doing something that is significantly harder or different than what I've been doing (which again probably means I'm using muscles I haven't used in a while), or after a break (e.g., a vacation--again, muscles I haven't used at all for a few day). If I'm in good condition, I'm working out regulary, and my workouts are good, I rarely feel sore. In fact, I sometimes take soreness to be a bad sign--it means that I've been neglecting my workouts.

I'm not in any way an expert or professional, so take this for the amateur opinion that it is, but I think that so long as you are finding it difficult to complete the last few reps of each set, you're probably lifting heavy enough and getting a good workout. I would be surprised if you aren't also feeling some burn at that point, but the burning sensation should go away quickly once you finish the set (if it doesn't, that's a sign that something is wrong). And it doesn't mean you'll be sore afterwards.

[GypsyLove]

Thank you bluetoblue! That was a really good post and it definately makes sense because I also noticed when I take a break and then go back I'll be sore again. Thanks so much!