How sore should I be? This is a question we hear all the time…

‍The answer is, not nearly as much as you think.

For some reason it’s extremely popular to think that you need to be painfully sore to make progress in the gym. 

And it’s not true.

You actually don’t need to be sore at all.

Although, most people will probably be best served being lightly to moderately sore. 

If you are getting so sore it hurts, you’re doing it wrong.

It’s not sustainable. 

Outside of maybe starting something new for the first time, or first time in a long time, you should never be painfully sore. 

It’s your body telling you that something is wrong. 

And we’ve been told enough times over and over and over that soreness is a good thing that you might start to convince yourself you like it.

Imagine that.

Pain in almost every other physical application is seen as something wrong. 

Except when you can’t use the bathroom without pain or walk around without being in pain… then, it’s good for you.

Stop getting so sore – your program will be more sustainable, you’ll recover better and get better results. 

All the time people will ruin a whole week’s worth of workouts by getting too sore from a single workout on Monday.

Here’s the key – you can’t let Monday get in the way of Wednesday’s workout. If you are too sore to workout, or to workout productively (ie, be recovered enough to only be lightly sore or not sore at all), then Monday’s workout is preventing you from getting better on Wednesday. 

Here’s the rule: light to moderate soreness for no more than 24-48 hours. 

If it hurts, you did too much, and you are holding yourself back, not propelling yourself forward. 

Think about it – how long are you willing to be painfully sore for? The rest of your life?

Exercise is supposed to enhance your life, not make it constantly painful.

Pro tip: modify/scale your workouts so you don’t get too sore. You may need some practice with this – our coaches will help – but use your soreness as feedback. 

If you do a workout and you are painfully sore, then you know you need to scale back next time in order to actually make progress. 

I’m going to say it one more time to make it super clear…

It is NOT

“The more sore the better.”

It is NOT

“No pain no gain.”

What really gets people results is light to moderate soreness that allows them to recover and train consistently so they make results, while not being constantly in pain in their daily lives. 

Connor “Stop This Nonsense” Green

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