Hey Reader,​

I’ve taken on a few new personal training clients this month, which means I’ve had several conversations lately about soreness.

Some of my clients have been pretty sore after their first few workouts.

Others? Barely sore at all.

And some people actually like that sore feeling. It can make a workout feel satisfying, like, “Yep, I definitely did something yesterday.”

There’s nothing wrong with that.

The question is whether soreness actually tells us how effective a workout was.

Does being more sore mean you had a better workout?

Not necessarily.

Soreness, or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), usually shows up 24 to 72 hours after a workout. It tends to happen when your muscles experience a stress they’re not used to, like trying a new exercise, lifting heavier weights, doing more reps or sets, spending more time under tension, or emphasizing the lowering portion of an exercise.

That unfamiliar stress can create some muscle damage and an inflammatory response as your body repairs and adapts. Because unfamiliar exercises tend to create more soreness, you may feel especially sore after trying something new or returning to an exercise you haven’t done in a while.

And it’s one of several things we sometimes use to judge whether a workout “counted.”

Sweat.

Exhaustion.

Calories burned.

Feeling completely wiped out afterward.

So let’s clear up 4 common fitness myths that can make it harder to tell whether your workouts are actually helping you make progress.

MYTH #1: Soreness is the ultimate proof of a great workout.

Soreness usually tells you that your body experienced something it wasn’t used to. Maybe you tried a new exercise, increased the load, did more volume, or came back after some time off.

It doesn’t tell you whether the workout was effective.

You can make plenty of progress without getting sore after every workout.

Instead of asking, “Am I sore?” try asking:

Am I getting stronger?

Am I able to do a little more than I could before?

Am I recovering well enough to train again?

Am I actually staying consistent?

Those questions tell you a lot more.

MYTH #2: Intense exercise is always better.

High-intensity exercise can absolutely have a place in your routine.

But you don’t have to destroy yourself several times a week to make progress.

Walking counts.

Strength training counts.

Easy movement counts.

Rest and recovery count too.

And if every workout leaves you ravenous, exhausted, or dreading the next one, turning the intensity dial down might actually make it easier to stay consistent.

If the above is you, try swapping one hard workout this week for a walk, an easier workout, or some extra recovery. Pay attention to what happens to your energy, hunger, mood, and desire to exercise again.

MYTH #3: More exercise is better.

Your body needs enough of a training stimulus to create change.

Then it needs time to recover from that stimulus.

Stacking hard workout after hard workout can eventually catch up with you through nagging aches, poor recovery, fatigue, declining performance, or plain old burnout.

Take a look at your week.

Are all your workouts hard?

Are you giving yourself easier days?

Do you have at least some days when your body gets a chance to recover?

Sometimes the smartest adjustment is turning the dial down enough that you can keep going.

MYTH #4: Sweating more means you had a better workout and burned more calories.

Sweat mainly helps regulate your body temperature.

You’ll probably sweat more exercising outside in July than you will doing the exact same workout in a cool gym in January.

Same muscles. Same workout. Very different T-shirt situation.

So your soaked shirt doesn’t get to grade your workout.

Pay more attention to what you’re getting better at over time: strength, endurance, mobility, confidence, energy, or simply showing up regularly.

That’s where I’d keep my attention.

You don’t have to crawl away from a workout for it to count.

A good training program gives your body enough challenge to adapt, enough recovery to actually make those adaptations, and something you can realistically keep doing week after week.

That’s a much better recipe for progress than trying to win the soreness Olympics.

Want help figuring out what that could look like for you?

Reply with “Smart Training” and I’ll send you 3 things you can focus on this week to get more from your workouts without beating yourself into the ground.