Is lack of soreness adequate to determine whether it’s time to train again?

Asked by: Kristin Bruno

So a little hurt is great. But here’s the thing: “You don’t need to be sore after every workout, and you don’t want to be,” says exercise physiologist Marta Montenegro, CSCS. “If you’re constantly sore, you’re not giving muscles enough time to recover and adapt, so they can give you more the next time.”

Should you wait until you aren’t sore to workout again?

These tears do need time to heal. Because your muscles need time to recuperate and grow, prevailing wisdom states that you should give sore muscles 1 to 2 days of rest before exercising them hard again.

Are you still building muscle if you’re not sore?

Are you still getting results? The answer is YES. Just because you don’t feel muscle soreness as intensely as when you first began doesn’t mean a workout is not benefiting you. Your body is an amazing machine and it adapts very rapidly to whatever challenges you present it with.