"I had such a good workout — I can barely walk today!" I hear this constantly, and every time, I have to resist the urge to gently shake someone. Soreness is not a reliable indicator of a productive workout. Full stop.
If you're not sore after a workout, you didn't train hard enough to stimulate growth.
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is primarily caused by novel stimuli and eccentric loading — not by effective training. You can have an incredibly productive session and feel fine the next day.
The Three Real Drivers of Muscle Growth
Decades of research have identified three primary mechanisms that drive hypertrophy: mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage. Of these three, mechanical tension — lifting heavy things through a full range of motion — is by far the most important.
Mechanical Tension: The King
Mechanical tension is the force your muscles produce against resistance. This is why progressive overload works: by gradually increasing the load or volume, you increase the mechanical tension on the muscle, which triggers the signaling cascades that lead to growth.
What to Track Instead of Soreness
A little soreness after introducing a new exercise is normal and fine. But if you're so wrecked that you can't train again for four days, you did too much too fast. Dial it back and build up gradually.
- ✓DOMS is not a reliable indicator of workout quality
- ✓Mechanical tension (progressive overload) is the primary driver of muscle growth
- ✓Track your weights and total volume, not how sore you feel
- ✓Stick with exercises long enough to actually progress on them
- ✓Some soreness is fine; being destroyed for days means you overdid it