Soreness & Sweat ≠ Good Workout

Just because you’re sweating – doesn’t mean you’re being productive and being sore after every workout is NOT GOOD.

A lot of people think SWEAT & SORENESS are the best indicator of a “good workout” – but the reality of it is, that it’s not hard to make a workout that’s going to make someone sweat & be sore from.

What’s hard is making a well designed program that is going to get someone STRONGER, be able to RECOVER, and not INJURE them.

So what is muscle soreness really?

Muscle soreness is MICRO TEARS in your muscle that come from a new type of stressor – which can be strength, cardio or even flexibility based.

Sometimes this can present itself as DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness, which will usually come on 2 days after the workout. This is generally a sign you did something COMPLETELY NEW or WAY HIGHER intensity / volume than you’re used to.

The reality is, the longer you take to recover, the less you can do again the next day. If you’re so sore that by the time you get to your next workout you’re struggling to get through it – you’re not optimizing that workout.

The question I ask my clients on weekly feedback is how many days were you more than 3-4/ 10 sore?

I don’t want that answer to be anymore than 1-2 days absolute max on a regular basis.

When starting a new plan (which should really only be every 4-6 weeks) some extra soreness is expected – but after that you should be adapting and slowly progressing to allow for proper RECOVERY.

RECOVERY is where the muscle is actually BUILT.

If you’re constantly sore, you’re not recovering, and you’re not making the progress you could be.

So the next time you think that a completely new HIIT workout with all the jump squats, burpees and side shuffle rope slams are the best fat burning workout…I want you to think:
1. is this repeatable (or will I repeat it)
2. Is this progressive?
3. Is this just for fun?
4. Is this going to hurt me?
5. How sore am I going to be for the next 2-3 days?

Food for thought;)

Are you or have you made this mistake in your training?

Share this post

Hi, I'm Brooke

Women’s Functional Nutritionist & Fitness Specialist along with CEO of Elysian Women’s Wellness.

God, family, fitness – in that order.  Fitness isn’t my job, it’s my passion. My favorite things include traveling the world, being a mama and making a difference.  

14 years of experience in the wellness industry has brought me to an understanding that when you’re ready – you’ll do it. So when you are, we’re here to keep you simply well.

METABOLIC oPTIMIZATION METHOD
(1-1 ONLINE COACHING)

The last “program” you’ll ever buy. Your individualized training & nutrition plan that teaches the why & how to create lasting changes with me by your side every step of the way!

GET YOUR FREE HEALTHY HORMONE BLUEPRINT!

Thank you for subscribing!

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

LEvel Up Programming

Level 0, 1, 2 & 3: Level Up your workouts with beginner to advanced plans designed with a focus lift each month, progressive overload, instructional videos & all inclusive training & nutrition guides.