no soreness after workout=no gain??

[TheDfromGC]

do u guys think that if u arent sore the next day after ur workout u didnt really make any gains???

[KeyMastur]

no. soreness comes from lactic acid, which is just a waste product of a chemical reaction in muscle contraction

[bigol'legs]

Once you train for awhile the soreness starts to fade.. but the gains still get there. Large bodyparts stay sore longer than small.

[KeizerSoze]

I find that I rarely if never get sore anymore. The only time I would is if I stopped working out for a while. A few months ago I got really sick and couldn't work out for a couple of weeks. After the first day back I got sore again. I believe that warming up properly (running/cycling for 2-3 minutes) then stretching before you workout helps. Also stretching after you workout and of course a good post workout shake

[znak]

This is a million dollar question for me.

When I get in a killer workout, I am sore. I don't believe that it is from lactic acid, but actually from micro-tears from overloading the muscles. When I push hard, I am sore-- when my intensity is down, I am not sore.

I don't think that it is a one-to-one correlation between soreness and growth, but working to failure makes you sore, intensity makes you sore…

Don’t believe me, trying doing a set of six really heavy negatives for any exercise (say, just lower yourself down on weighted pull ups with 120 pounds on your belt). You will be sore, there will be growth, but you did not work long enough to create lactic acid, so what are you sore from? Or do heavy negatives on the bench with your partner. Only six reps and you are sore the next day. When you recruit new muscle, you will be sore. New muscle = growth.

I am typically sore (pleasantly so) for a day or two after my work out. Thus, for my body, I would have to say that growth occurs faster when there is some element of soreness.