Feeling Sore?

Now seems like a better time than any to talk about soreness. Somehow, soreness after a workout has become the standard measurement the workout’s effectiveness. It’s just one of those fitness myths that won’t die - you don’t need to be sore in order for the workout to count positively. 

Let’s pretend that getting sore muscles after a hard workout and, being cautious of stairs for a couple days, truly is a measurement of workout effectiveness. If that were the case, my job as a coach would be to write programs, not to hit certain movement patterns and progressivley build strength, but instead to build plans that make your muscles sore through high intensity and high reps. 

Mike Boyle, the former Boston Red Sox strength coach has a famous anecdote he tells young strength coaches. He says if the point is only to make trainees sore, why don’t you just take a baseball bat and whale on their quads for 45 minutes instead of training? 

While it’s perhaps a crude example, consider his point. If getting sore from working out is good, all sore muscles must be good, right? As you’re getting back to it this week, you’re probably going to feel more sore than normal. The point I’m making, that doesn’t mean the workout is more or less effective, it just means you  body isn’t used to the loading, or volume or intensity that you’re bringing to the gym. Walking around feeling a little stiff from strength training isn’t bad, but it also isn’t the only way to define good.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain