Muscle Soreness: Why Are My Muscles Not Sore After Workouts?
Are your muscles not getting sore the next day after working out? Could you be over training or is your body simply adapting? Most people will get muscle soreness the next day after working out with intensity. This soreness is known as delayed onset muscle soreness. Some people, however, find that they are not sore the next day after working out.
Below are some possible reasons why you may not be getting sore after working out a muscle group(s).
No Muscle Soreness: Am I over training?
If you are working out the same muscle group every day or every other day, you are likely over training. This is assuming you are lifting weights with intensity and until failure, or close to failure. Your muscles need multiple days to recover. If you find that you are not getting sore the following days, ask yourself an important question, "Am I working the same muscles too much?" If the answer is yes, then you are likely over training.
You should wait at least 72 hours before working the same muscle group again, sometimes even longer, depending on your age and other factors, such as the type of workout program you are following. Optimally, working out a muscle group once a week is better since it ensures that you have fully recovered from your previous workout.
Are your workouts the same every week?
The human body is very smart and is known to adapt. If you continue to do the same workouts every week, then your body may adapt to this. This may perhaps be the reason why you are not getting muscle soreness the following days, your body has adapted to your workout program.
If you find that you keep getting bigger and stronger, regardless of being sore, then that is fine. Keep track of your progress. More than likely, your body is used to your workouts, but is still gaining more muscle and strength. Muscle soreness is not always an indication that you are getting bigger and stronger.
Some Muscle Groups Do Not Get Sore For Some People
There is a possibility that some of your muscles just do not get delayed onset muscle soreness, regardless of how hard they are trained. You may workout the shoulders with intensity, but never get sore the next day. You'll still likely feel stiff in certain muscle groups, but may not feel actual muscle soreness. As long as you are gaining muscle and strength in that area, then everything is fine.
Are You Taking Supplements?
Muscle building supplements may possibly be causing you to feel no muscle soreness, even if you had an intense training session. Creatine is known to increase recovery time. If you normally get sore, then take a supplement such as creatine, then that could be why you are not experiencing soreness. I have recently started taking creatine and noticed that I am not getting muscle soreness. Before that, I was indeed getting sore. I am not over training either, so that can be taken out of the equation.