Sometimes soreness is inevitable. It shouldn't be the goal of a workout, but it's not something that should be avoided at all costs either. It's certainly not a sign that you're doing something improperly. It's merely a sign that your body was placed under a stress it's unaccustomed to.

And as I've said previously in this thread, there are times where training the same muscle group back to back is perfectly justifiable.

First of all I WAS a trainer for years. 2nd of all my husband trains me, he just left his job as a trainer (where he was for almost 8 years). I think it isn't true that if you get sore you are doing it wrong; I'm extremely out of shape, I get sore from walking up 1 flight of stairs. I mentioned this in various posts in this thread which I guess you didn't read. I don't ever work out the same muscles everyday. I do strength training 3 days per week, never back to back, and cardio, usually running, 3 days per week, running is never back to back. I may be fat and out of shape, but I'm not a novice to workouts and weight loss.

You should never be sore after a workout? I'd love to see some information backing that up. If you have any sources, QuilterinVA, please post them. I have never heard that one before, and suspect it's false.

I find the best way to deal with soreness is to jump right back in the saddle. :)

There are levels of soreness. If you're really sore, rest a few extra days until you're not so sore. You're not doing anyone any good if you're in pain when you walk through the gym doors. If you're kind of sore, take some ibuprofin before your workout and go, but warmup sufficiently, as you'll be working muscles that aren't used to being isolated and worked. If it's been a while since you've worked out a particular muscle group, take it very easy the first time around. You'll be glad you did in the days that follow.

And remember - a worked muscle must rest at least 48 hours before being worked again, or you'll just flog it to death without any recovery time.

Sounds similar to the 1970s slogan "Train, don't strain", which has long since been abandoned as inaccurate (now replaced with "No pain, no gain").

Soreness is nothing more than a lactic acid buildup in the muscles due to more-than-normal exercise for a particular muscle. As long as the soreness isn't major, it isn't a big deal and certainly not a sign that one isn't exercising properly.