Sore Muscles no longer???

[1_Grendel]

All I know about lifting is what I have read and the help I have received on the “Transformation Challenge”. I have been going to the gym for 2.5 years now and I am not sure about something.

When I first started working-out/lifting my muscles were very sore for a few days afterwards. Now I can not get the muscles sore no matter how hard I lift. They are stiff or feel like they need to be stretched but not sore.
Is it normal to not be sore after a workout? Am I doing something wrong and need to change?

When I work a muscle group I feel the burn and I always go until I can not do another rep; I stay around the 6-12 rep zone, normally I do 8-10 reps.
I read that the sore muscle is the body breaking it down so it can be build up.
I am concerned that I may be doing something wrong and/or the over training thing.

tks

[1_Grendel]

Ok, I think I found some answers thanks everyone



Source: http://askville.amazon.com/feel-sore...uestId=6501663

“Amino acids

Alright, I did some research on this, and found this. Mr. Wong, you sorta answered your own question in the details. What you're experiencing is a huge chain reaction of events that leads from one thing to another.

1 - You are lifting weights. You are burning calories extensively and gaining muscle mass.
2 - Your expended calories and increased metabolism contribute to you being hungrier often and eating more.
3 - You eat protein a lot to maintain a healthy muscular structure and to gain size. This is where it gets a bit trickier. There's a lot going on behind the scenes of that protein intake.
3a. In order to get 200 grams of protein a day, I take it you eat more than just incomplete proteins, like beans and vegetables. You probably intake a lot of whey protein shakes and eat a lot of meat/eggs/animal products. Good for you.
3b. Not all vegetables will contain the essential amino acids needed to support muscle growth and recovery. However, meats and whey do, which is why they are called complete proteins. Among the essential amino acids are the three BCAA (branched-chain amino acids).
3c. The three amino acids that are the BCAA are leucine, isoleucine, and valine. When combined, they help greatly with muscle recovery. Individually, leucine primarily focuses on regulation of blood-sugar levels, growth and repair of skin tissue, bones and skeletal muscle. Isoleucine focuses on muscle recovery and stimulates HGH (human growth hormone) release. Valine aids in the repair and growth of muscle tissue. When all three of these combine into a BCAA, they form like Voltron and you get maximum benefits. But they don't occur if one is missing.
3d. These three essential amino acids are found in basically all animal complete proteins, so you're getting a healthy dose of all of them. Good job!
3e. In addition to these essential amino acids, you're more than likely getting plenty of L-glutamine in your diet, which is a non-essential amino acid that aids in muscle recovery. Non-essential amino acids are produced naturally in your body, which is why your hypertrophy (muscle tear) will eventually go away on its own. But an increased amount aids in that process.

If you want the soreness back, then stop eating as much, but no one would recommend that. Or change your routine to lots of repetitions, but you get different results that way. But don't be concerned, you're doing your body good. TheMaz “



"People that know NOTHING about lifting will say it's because you're used to it!


But, that’s wrong, and no, the protein CAN’T make you heal that quickly!
“Some possible fixes, because you're not inflicting microtrauma if you're not sore. Microtrauma, NOT lactic acid is what causes delayed onset muscle soreness.
I get at least 240 grams of protein per day, and as much as 300 grams, but I'm always very sore for three days or more after every workout.
Concentrate on negatives! Most of the microtrauma is caused during the eccentric (negative) phase of the lift. Doing slower negatives will help you to get where you want to be.

Do forced reps with a spotter. Going to failure, then getting a bit of help will help you increase the intensity of your workouts. Strip sets, super sets annd giant sets will help even more. Supersets, in case you don't know, are doing one exercise right after another with no rest in between. This will up the intensity, for sure.

Do your heaviest sets first, once you're warmed up. This will help you to handle more weight in the early portion of your workout, then you can drop the weight (reverse pyramid) and raise the reps.

Do your compound movements first, then your shaping or fully contracted movements last.

Asolutely NO cardio before your weight training! This is robbing you of the energy to train even harder. BrainBuilder_is_gone “

“If you don't feel sore, well, I am bummed for you - but feeling sore isn' what it is all about


I rarely feel sore after a hard workout - I used to feel sore, but that was for different reasons. I just feel really good. I never liked popping advil after a workout and these days, I don't.

But, if you're desperate to be in pain for some reason, you have to work muscles that need work - very few people work every muscle - so evaluate the ones you are not using and start working those in.

also, take a break of a day or more between working muscle groups. I suspect that your muscles are not fully recovering and getting a chance to heal between events and have stopped reporting their problems to you.

I go three days a week these day - as a somewhat elderly lifter, I don't do that much anymore - about 25-30 minutes of basic lift sets - 2 sets of mediums and 2 sets of exhaust on each of my 8 lift types I am doing now.

I don't usually lift on Saturday - but when I do, I have a longer session - and add some lifts I don't usually so. For example, I rarely do reverse leg lifts - I do forwards and squats and power push in my regular routine. So, on a saturday, I do some of those bad boys - and sure enough, my calves hurt like hell afterward - cause I have let them heal back and haven't hit those muscles in at least a week (and more likely much more. By awarulz “

"You are preparing better and advancing beyond the simple muscle tears and lactic acid build up.

Why Do Your Muscles Become Sore Anyway?

Whenever you engage in an unusual level of physical activity, whether lifting weights, going for a jog, or simply moving a heavy piece of furniture you create microscopic tears in your muscle tissue. Don’t worry; this is normal – when your body rebuilds the damaged muscle it grows back bigger and stronger than before. This is the same mechanism that athletes and bodybuilders use to become faster, bigger and stronger.
As a general rule, the more you exert yourself, the more microscopic tears you create, and the more soreness you feel later on as the muscles are being repaired by your body. The soreness itself is a result of both the damage to the muscles, and chemical waste products produced by the muscles during use (namely lactic acid).

Different Types of Muscle Soreness
If you’ve found yourself with sore muscles and have come here in search of relief – the first thing you should do is determine the cause of the soreness. Is it normal post-workout soreness or does it feel much worse than that?
Normal, Post-Workout Muscle Soreness
Many people who work out on a regular basis will describe this type of muscle pain as ‘good’ – many even enjoy it as a sign that they’ve pushed themselves hard enough to see a benefit from their exercise as the muscle fibers grow back stronger than before. Normal muscle soreness manifests itself as a dull but localized pain in the worked muscles that doesn’t limit range of motion but may be accompanied by tightness and temporary loss of strength. It can appear right after your workout, or several hours after your workout (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).
Treatment
You can reduce some of the discomfort by stretching the sore muscles often to keep them from tightening up along with participating in light cardiovascular training to get the blood and lymphatic systems moving (to assist flushing of remaining waste products like lactic acid). Anti-inflammatories such as ibuprophen can help relieve the pain, but it has been argued that they may also limit muscle gain.
Strained or Overexerted Muscle Soreness
This happens when you push too hard, too fast and is most common in people who are just beginning a workout program and overdo it on the first few trips to the gym. The symptoms are the same as in normal, post-workout soreness but with the addition of tenderness in the area of the strained muscle and painful tightness which may limit your range of motion.
Treatment
If the pain is severe, see your doctor. If it’s tolerable, try not to use the muscle and each day you should notice an increased range of non-painful motion. Stretching *may* help depending on the extent of the strain. If the soreness turns into pain as you stretch, stop and just give that muscle some time to heal. Anti inflammatory medication such as ibuprophen can lessen the immediate pain, but may also lessen your muscle gain.
Pulled or Torn Muscles
This usually happens because a muscle was not fully prepared for exertion or incapable of handling the demanded exertion and is exactly what the title implies. Depending on the amount of overexertion a muscle can be partially or completely torn. A small tear will result in a sharp pain in the effected muscle followed by a similar pain whenever the muscle is called into use. Severe strains cause swelling as blood pools around the injured muscle to protect it and provide some damage control. A larger, or complete tear will be extremely painful and may result in an inability to use the muscle at all – if you are sitting at your PC reading this then you likely don’t have one of these unless your pain threshold is abnormally high.
Treatment
If you suspect a severely strained or torn muscle, stop exercising, ice the area, and go and see your physician immediately. Continued use of the damaged muscle will only increase the damage and extend healing time. Do NOT apply heat as this will increase the blood flow and swelling, if the area does begin to swell, wrap it snugly with an ace bandage and keep it elevated until your doctor can examine it.
Preventing Sore Muscles
If you’re going to work out, you’re going to experience muscle soreness. You can however, reduce your chances of strains, pulls and tears. Here are some tips:
• Gently stretch each muscle group for at least 60 seconds before and after your workouts
• Begin and end every workout with an absurdly light load. If you’re about to run, start with 10 minutes of fast walking. If you’re about to lift weights, do a couple of speed sets using only the bar and going through the entire range of motion
• Hydrate! Lots of water or an electrolyte containing sports drink
• If weight training, stretch the target muscles between sets
• Finish every workout (even weight training) with 10-15 minutes of light cardio. This gets the blood and lymphatic system flowing and will help eliminate waste products built up from the workout
• Get a massage
• Ice the worked muscle group immediately after especially hard workouts By: Spaceman_Spiff “

[JohnnyVegas]

Seems complicated. I only get delayed onset muscle soreness when I get back to the gym after some time off. After a short while, I get tight/sore the next day, but it is nothing serious. Despite not having a lot of pain/soreness, I have put on 25-30 pounds of muscle. The above info makes it sound like if you aren't in pain for three days you won't grow. Or am I reading it wrong?

[tbody66]

I like the soreness, makes me feel alive. I am able to still get sore, even after lifting consistantly for months, not "I hate to sit down or can't get out of the car" but noticably sore.

[pebble]

Seems complicated. I only get delayed onset muscle soreness when I get back to the gym after some time off. After a short while, I get tight/sore the next day, but it is nothing serious. Despite not having a lot of pain/soreness, I have put on 25-30 pounds of muscle. The above info makes it sound like if you aren't in pain for three days you won't grow. Or am I reading it wrong?

You are reading it right, but the author of the post is using the little scientific information he knows to mislead the reader. You do not have to be sore to grow.

[ecruz]

I like the soreness, makes me feel alive. I am able to still get sore, even after lifting consistantly for months, not "I hate to sit down or can't get out of the car" but noticably sore.

to me it means somethings working