Is Soreness a Sign of Getting Stronger? Here's What Actually Helps

Is Soreness a Sign of Getting Stronger: The "No Pain, No Gain" Myth

Many of us grew up with the same message: if it hurts, it means it's working — and if you're not sore, you need to level up. Push through. Soreness is progress.

It sounds believable — and it's misguided. It can silently break down your body and motivation to exercise. Lets' clear up the question "is soreness a sign of getting stronger?"

Why Soreness Isn't the Goal (And Slows You Down)

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Soreness after unfamiliar movement is normal, but it's not needed to get stronger. In fact, it slows progress two ways.

First, it means more rest before you can move forward again. Soreness is inflammation — not the helpful kind. The micro-tears from exercise aren't supposed to be felt; when they are, that's too much tissue disruption.

There is no "good sore."

Despite its popularity, there's no science behind that idea.

Second, and more important: it teaches your brain that exercise equals pain, and your brain is hardwired to avoid pain. The conflicting message — soreness is good, but pain means stop — eventually resolves the same way: avoidance wins, often disguised in really good excuses for why you don't have time.

What Actually Builds Strength

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What actually builds strength is consistent, well-paced movement that leaves you feeling and functioning better now. When you follow the pace the body can grow stronger, soreness is not an issue.

Start at a pain-free level and progress in that range, and your body will take the fastest possible route to a sustainably stronger you.

How strongly do I believe that soreness means progress?

What would it be like to update this belief?

Share this with someone you know who is trying to get unstuck, and please post your comments below!

Warmly, Janet 🌞

Find My Core Why

Sources

Schoenfeld BJ, Contreras B. Is Postexercise Muscle Soreness a Valid Indicator of Muscular Adaptations? Strength and Conditioning Journal. 2013;35(5):16-21. Being sore after a workout isn't a reliable sign that muscle is actually growing — soreness can happen without any real growth, and growth can happen without any soreness. "No pain, no gain" doesn't hold up: soreness just isn't a trustworthy measure of whether exercise is working.

Nosaka K, Newton M, Sacco P. Delayed-onset muscle soreness does not reflect the magnitude of eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2002;12(6):337-346. Feeling sore after exercise doesn't tell you how much muscle damage happened or how much progress you made — researchers who measured strength, swelling, and blood markers of damage found they didn't line up with how sore people felt. Soreness is a poor guide to whether a workout "worked," so patients don't need to chase it as proof of results.