“No pain, no gain” is a long-standing mantra in the fitness world, suggesting that a workout must leave you writhing in a world of hurt to be effective. Social media supports this view, with tons of TikTok videos showing people suffering post-workout — say, crawls to use the toilet after bone day, or struggling to put her hair up after a weapons routine.
So when you don’t do it sore after a workout, it’s only normal to wonder if it was even worth the effort. “It’s a question that comes up a lot in my practice,” physiotherapist and strength coach Rena Eléázar, DPT, CSCSco-founder of Match Fit Performance in New York City, tells SELF.
But is there any truth to that belief? We reached out to experts to dig into what post-workout soreness is actually say about your workout—and what to focus on if you want to make sure your routine delivers the benefits.
Here’s what post-workout soreness actually indicates.
There’s a term for post-workout soreness: delayed onset muscle soreness, aka. JUDGMENTexplains Dr. Eleázar. As the name suggests, DOMS isn’t something you’ll feel immediately—it usually sets in 12 to 24 hours after a workout and can peak around 24 to 72 hours. So if you walk out of Pilates feeling great but wake up the next with sore glutes and hammies, DOMS is likely at play.
As for what reasons that, there is no definitive answer, but there are a number of theories, Teddy Willsey PT, DPT, CSCSowner of Healthy Baller Physical Therapy in Washington, DC, tells SELF. The most agreed upon is that it happens when exercise causes damage or irritation to your muscles, he explains.
When you exercise, you actually create small tears in your muscle tissues. You can’t see the effects of this impact – the toll is microscopic – but it is believed to start a very real inflammatory process in the body that results in a feeling of soreness, Stephen Ranellone, CSCSan exercise physiologist at the hospital for specialist surgery, tells SELF.
DOMS is much more likely to happen with new-to-you exercise, whether it’s a new type of movement, speed or weight, says Dr. Willsey. “Something as simple as doing an elevated split squat with your back foot after lunging can create a lot more soreness,” he explains. That’s because when you stretch and stress your muscle fibers in ways other than what they’re used to, they’re more susceptible to these little tears because they’re not yet used to the challenge you’re putting them through.
