I’ve been lifting for a little over four years now (I’m almost 23) and have reached a point in my lifting where I am sore after every workout. It used to be that I’d only be sore after a layoff, or after trying something new–but now, whether I’m doing a routine I’ve been doing for weeks or one I’m just beginning, I get very sore the following days in the target muscle. Am I right to attribute this to learning “efficiency?” That is, can I say that I’ve learned how to work the muscle so efficiently that I tear new muscle every workout (ie. minimizing the ant. delts and tri’s during incline barbells)?
Chris: How many grams of protein are you taking in per day? How many meals do you eat? Do you take in a post recovery drink like Surge after working out? How much do you sleep each night; i.e., is it enough for you? How often do you work out and how many sets?
Could be workcapcity. Which of course could be a function of your diet etc. Also the volume of your workouts. So basically everything Tampa said is right IMO. However a good way to up your workcapcity and this worked for me is to do 3 full body workouts per week at a reduced volume and intensity. Build up the intensity over a few weeks, possibly add a bit of volume. Then go back to your traditional split. After doing this I rarely get sore anymore.
We are in the exact same spot right now, I didnt do anything different then all of a sudden I started getting sore, I think it could be the weather though, its gonna get down to 25 tonight here in St. Louis…so thats what I am hoping it is…
At first glance I would say it probably has a lot to do with your diet and lack of certain macro/micro nutrients or overall kcal intake is to low. Also try incorporating active recovery and other restorative practices into your program.
Hey I’m 23 and tomorrow will be my 4th year at my gym (yep started on halloween, nice side effect is that its easy to remmember). Anywho I used to get sore all the time (even weeks after the same workout at the same weight… gahhhhrrrr…) this would start about 5 hours after the workout, then I started nailing my post workout drink (bout 6 or more months ago), now I only get sore when doing a new excercise (which I try to throw in there and mix up my routine), also I used to feel like crap after workouts, now I’m good… I’d suggest that you look at nutrition first for possible solutions and optimizations.
Seems like nutrition is to blame, and I can’t say I blame you…the attention I pay my nutrition is sporadic at best. I find it hard to stick to a meal plan. I’m sure my nutrition isn’t helping any, but it seems to me that even when I maintain adequate protein/carb/kcal intake and eat clean and take supps, I still get sore. One side note, I don’t mind the soreness, I actually look at it as a sort of accomplishment…thanks for the feedback…
