MYTH: No pain, no gain!
TRUTH: Soreness itself (using a scale from 0 to 10 to assess the level of soreness) is a poor indicator of muscle adaptation and growth.
We often wear our soreness or “delayed onset muscle soreness” (DOMS), as a badge of honor and believe that if we’re not sore, we’re not doing enough during our workouts. But that’s just not true…
If you find that you aren’t crippled the next day after your workout, it doesn’t mean that you didn’t have a good workout. There are many factors that influence how DOMS presents itself in individuals.
There is great variability, even between people with similar genetics and even among highly-trained weight lifters and athletes. So while comparing how you feel with your workout partner is all part of the process, just remember DOMS isn’t the best gauge of how effective your workout was or who’s in better shape!
Also, our goal isn’t to leave you in pain and leave you feeling like tomorrow could only possibly consist of laying on the floor!! You can feel sore 24 hours to three days after the activity but you should feel like you’re recovering as time passes.
If, after three days, you try to do the same exercise and you cannot because you go immediately to muscle failure, you’ve done too much – we don’t want that!
PS. Here’s a free session invite => Find Your Ideal Personal Training Experience With Synergy Fitness! (Valid at any Synergy location in Albany, Binghamton, Vestal, or Endwell)