Does a workout need to leave you sore?
Feeling sore after training does not tell you how much muscle you are building. You can make progress without being sore after every session.
What soreness can tell us
Delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, often follows unfamiliar or demanding exercise. It is something to pay attention to, but it is not a reliable score for workout quality.
Brad Schoenfeld and Bret Contreras discussed this in their review of soreness and muscular adaptations. Their paper questions the practice of using soreness as the main measure of an effective workout.
What we track instead
In coaching, we can review your exercise technique, the repetitions and resistance you manage, and how well you recover between sessions. We look for progress over time rather than trying to make every workout hurt.
Tell your coach when soreness interferes with your next session or everyday activities. That gives us useful information when deciding whether to adjust your training.
Read the research
Schoenfeld and Contreras: Is Postexercise Muscle Soreness a Valid Indicator of Muscular Adaptations? Strength and Conditioning Journal, 2013.
Updated September 2026.
