Anyone who’s gotten a few workouts under their belt knows the feeling of being sore after their workout.
Sometimes it’s a little sore.
Sometimes it’s a LOT of sore!
And if we’ve had conversations about muscle soreness, we might think it’s due to “lactic acid”.
And it makes sense, right?
If there’s acid in our muscles, that would explain the burning sensation, and also why my muscles feel sore days later!
And while it might make sense, it’s not true.
Lactic Acid is actually helpful in energy production, and no, our muscles haven’t gone acidic.
When we feel sore muscles, we’re typically experiencing a combination of “micro-tears” and inflammation.
Those aren’t inherently bad things either. In exercise, we want to stress and strain our tissues so they adapt and become strong & resilient.
I recently heard someone say that endurance work is exposing yourself to a bunch of mini heart attacks, to help stave off a big one!
That’s kind of what’s happening to your muscles, tendons, and even ligaments.
You’re exposing them to a bunch of mini tears to help stave off a big one!
Yes, there’s such a thing as too much soreness (look up: rhabdomyolysis)
No, it doesn’t mean your workout was a waste if you’re not sore.
But we shouldn’t be scared of soreness.
Know that a reasonable amount of soreness is a good indicator that we’re pushing ourselves in the gym and training at the right intensity!
