Soreness and hypertrophy

[El tío Saín]

To the moment I really thought that soreness was a bad thing; just something that prevented us from training more frequently, and a signal of a recovery need.

Charles Poliquin´s last article on t-nation makes me doubt, as my primary goal is hypertrophy. He says (hope there´s no problem with quoting from t-nation):

What Does Soreness Really Mean?

Q: Do I have to get sore in the gym to be making progress?


A: For hypertrophy, I'd say yes. Hypertrophy is a biological adaptation to a stressor, and the stressor here is micro-tears in the muscle.
So I'd agree that this is true, but that's one of the reasons you have to change your training routine every six workouts -- to get that new soreness. But do you need to be sore all the time? No, but you should certainly be sore 48 hours after you initiate a new program. If not, then you probably did a Richard Simmons training routine.


Now, when an athlete is peaking at the end of his training phase, then he doesn't want to get sore. But when you're trying to build muscle, then yes, you should be sore to some degree after the first two workouts. (You shouldn't however strive to get sore so badly that you'd need an Advil sandwich to get out of bed.) The next four workouts you adapt, and then by the sixth workout you're ready for new soreness from doing something else.


The rule is, the program is only as good as the time it takes you to adapt to it. The changes in the program don't have to be dramatic. For example, you could do shoulder-width stance back squats for six workouts then go to front squats with the heels elevated and you'll be sore.

[Mahler]

Soreness is not a bad thing. It is also, in most cases, not a necessary thing. Add, also, that it is a condition that will vary with each individual. Our adaptive capabilities and our tolerance levels broaden the spectrum of what constitutes "sore." Considering my age, I am doing some pretty agressive routines and consistently my level of "soreness" has been minimal, even in Hypertrophy routines. Another person, using the same load or routine, might have trouble getting out of bed the next day. In my opinion, it does not mean one did not get a good workout while the other did.

[eastcoastsurfer]

I think 'soreness' as a term also needs to be defined. Does it mean unable to walk or a little tight? When working out you will most likely never be as sore again as you were the first couple workouts you ever did. Does this mean all your other workouts aren't working?