Momentum and Perspectives (An Update)
Just to check in:
It's not like I didn't go craZy on it and eat a ton - Like usual when I consider something a "special" time out or occasion - I mean I didn't even taste it! Holy smokes! Why? What's changed?
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Just to check in:
One of the MANY workout related questions I get asked on a regular basis goes a little this…
“My muscles used to always be sore the day or two after a workout, but lately I’ve had pretty much no muscle soreness at all. Does that mean I didn’t have a good workout? Was it all a waste? If I’m not sore the day after, does that mean I didn’t increase muscle or strength?”
Other times I get a slightly different version of this same question. Something like… “Why am I only sore after some workouts and not others? Were those workouts less effective than the others?”
Whichever way it’s asked, it seems that people tend to equate muscle soreness with workout effectiveness. As in, if you feel sore, you accomplished something good. But if you don’t, you somehow failed. Well, if you happen to be someone who thinks this way, you’re about to learn why you shouldn’t.
Simply put… hell no! Muscle soreness is not an indicator of a good workout. Sore muscles the day after does not mean you had an effective workout or productive workout or a results-causing workout. It doesn’t mean you’ve built muscle or increased strength or lost fat or did anything “good” in any way.
On the other hand, NOT being sore the day after also does NOT mean your workout was bad, or ineffective, or unproductive, or useless. It doesn’t mean you failed to build muscle, increase strength, lose fat or anything similar. As far as effectiveness goes, muscle soreness means nothing.
So then, what’s the deal? How come you only get sore sometimes and not others? How come you used to get sore every time, but now you hardly ever do? Well, in the most basic sense, here’s what’s going on.
Muscle soreness usually occurs when you make your muscles do something that they just aren’t used to doing. You know, like when some sort of change is made. Confused? Here’s the two most common examples of what I mean…
Remember back when you first started working out? That is almost always when everyone experienced their most intense soreness. Forget the next day… your muscles were probably sore for the entire next week! And not just a little bit, either. You were probably sore to the point where you could barely move. Remember those days? Not too fun.
But then, as your body gradually got more accustomed to what you’re doing, your body gradually experienced less and less muscle soreness over time until it reached the point where you are barely sore or even not sore at all anymore the day(s) after a workout.
Your workouts aren’t any more or less effective, your body just got a lot better at adapting to and recovering from the stress exercise is placing on it.
Of course, this only explains the “why was I sore back then, but not now” question. What about the “why was I sore after this chest workout, but not my last 10 chest workouts” question?
Well, like I mentioned before, muscle soreness in the day or days following a workout is most often caused by your muscles just having to do something they aren’t used to doing. So, if your chest workout for the last 2 months has consisted of both the flat barbell bench press and incline barbell bench press, and this time you changed it to the flat dumbbell bench press and incline dumbbell flyes, there is a damn good chance you’ll be sore the next day.
Was it because this workout or these exercises were better or more effective in some way than what you were previously doing? Not at all. It was only because you changed something (in this case exercises), and in doing so you caused your body to do something it wasn’t used to doing. This is what would cause muscle soreness.
Similarly, you could have kept the exercises exactly the same, and just switched from 3 sets of 10 reps to 5 sets of 5 reps (or the other way around). You could have taken less time to rest in between sets. You could have increased the weight you’re lifting by 5-10lbs. You could have changed the order you performed the exercises in. Any change, big or small, could be enough to elicit some degree of muscle soreness.
In time, whatever you did to cause your muscles to be sore again will eventually cause less and less soreness until there’s barely any (or none at all) anymore. Is it because it stopped working or because your workout is no longer effective? Of course not… it’s just that your body has once again become more and more accustomed to the stress.
That is after all what the human body is built to do… adapt to its environment. When you change the environment (which in this case is your workout), the soreness starts again and the adaptation process starts right after.
Now, while a change to your workout is probably the most common cause of all, another thing to keep in mind is that some people just get sore after certain workouts or certain exercises (no matter how long they’ve done them) and never get sore after others.
For example, exercises with a stretch component to them (like the dumbbell fly for the chest orRomanian deadlifts for hamstrings) tend to naturally be more likely to make you sore than other exercises for the same muscle groups. For me personally, I’ve done leg curls on and off for years and never felt any hamstring soreness. But, even light Romanian deadlifts will cause crazy muscle soreness the next day (or more).
Similarly, my chest is usually sore more often after dumbbell flyes than presses, my quads and glutes are always sore after split squats and lunges but never leg presses, and my triceps are always sore after skull crushers but never cable pushdowns.
Now, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think only those exercises were effective. But, like I explained earlier, muscle soreness is NOT at all an indicator of a good (or bad) workout. And this brings us to the most important question of all…
So, if sore muscles don’t mean your workout was effective, what does? This one is easy… progress.
Are you getting stronger? Is the weight you’re lifting on each exercise gradually increasing at a realistic rate? If you’re trying to build muscle… is muscle being built? If you’re trying to lose fat… is fat being lost?
Your answers to these questions are what will let you know for sure if your workouts are actually working. Muscle soreness is just telling you that you changed something, did something your body wasn’t used to, or did an exercise that just so happens to make you more sore than others.
But in terms of effectiveness, it’s not telling you anything. Instead, use a workout log, a scale, a mirror, pictures, tape measure and common sense to judge whether or not what you’re doing is actually working. Those are the true indicators of progress.
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Warm Up: TC Skill: Deadhang Pull Ups 3×10 (If you can’t do 10 do as many as possible, if 10 is too easy add weight, if you can’t do any do ring rows with your feet elevated) WOD
kill: Back Squat 5×1 (92%) WOD
Warmup WOD: For our money, this was probably in the top two or three most challenging birthday WODs ever. It was brutal, particularly, the rig climb pull-ups. Just wait until those hit store shelves near you! We hope you have a great birthday, Connor! Your birthday WOD surely didn’t look all that bad. Boy were we all conned! Enjoy the day, buddy!
Kim, an Angry Trainer Fitness fan, recently wrote to me and asked me what I thought of Jamie Eason and her 12 Week Trainer program. So this week’sTesting The Trainers post is all about Jamie. To be honest, I’ve been following Eason on Twitter for months now and regularly check in on her Facebook page. She’s a spokesperson for the Internet giantBodybuilding.com and is a wildly successful and beautiful fitness model. Jamie has launched the 12 Week Trainer program in an effort to help people get in shape – but does it work – and will it get the Angry Trainer seal of approval. Let’s take a look… The Live Fit 12 Week Trainer is broken down into 3 x four week phases, and Jamie has designed each section to build upon what you’ve accomplished in the previous phase. She says that no matter your age, size, gender, or current shape, her program will work for you. The reason is simple – tried and true exercises and healthy eating work for most people. Jamie also says that women shouldn’t fear building too much muscle and that they NEED to train with weights – advice she clearly follows herself. In Phase 1, the program starts with a weight-training regimen to build muscle mass and a clean eating diet. Jamie says, “You can’t sculpt what you don’thave” and argues that the added muscle mass will speed up your metabolism.You start with 4 days of exercise per week and by week 5, you add two more days for a total of 6 weight training workouts a week. Phase 2 features the addition of cardiovascular work to burn off body fat. And finally Phase 3 jacks up the entire workout by super setting your weight training, and the inclusion ofHigh Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Within all the phases, Jamie also provides diet and supplement suggestions to maximize your time in the gym, plus a video intro to keep you informed. The program is extensive, with not only daily workouts for you to follow, but sample meal plans as well. Each day of every week has a printable guide for that day’s workout and eating schedule, and includes different dietary recommendations for men and women. Jamie also includes some suggested supplements like fish oil and multi vitamins in the diet plan. Jamie reveals that her parents and brother are all followers of her plan in addition to her clients, and all have achieved long lasting, sustainable results. She says you’ll feel better in just days and if you stick with the program you’ll get terrific results. So how much is this intricate workout and diet plan? FREE! Yes FREE! Simply sign up on the Bodybuilding.com website and you’re good to go. You can track your progress, connect with others enrolled in the program, and even watch how to exercise videos. Remember it’s FREE! The primary goal of Jamie’s program is to change your body composition and alter your appearance. Of course since Jamie is a spokesperson for BodyBuilding.com, you’d expect her program to lean towards a bodybuilding type routine. So there’s no real functional, stability or specific core training or one-legged exercises, kettlebells, TRX, or resistance band work written into the program. You all know how much I love those! But interval sprints and some plyometrics are included later in the program, in the amped up Phase 3. Okay that’s what’s missing – but that’s not to say this program isn’t great. Remember, variety in your training is key to your success, so there’s nothing wrong with hitting the weights and focusing on a bodybuilder type routine for a few months. Just be sure to use Jamie’s program, like others, as a tool in your arsenal to get fit and healthy. So will this program work for you? Yes it will – if, like Jamie says, you stick to the plan. Make no mistake – this is a tough program. It’s without a doubt one of the more complete and intricate plans out there, and it can help both men and women get into great shape. The exercise and diet suggestions are sound, and all you guys out there get to watch videos of Jamie (and that can’t be a bad thing!)Testing The Trainers: Jamie Eason / The 12 Week Trainer Program
PROGRAM SHAKEDOWN
CONCLUSION
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