The Truth About Soreness: What It Really Means for Recovery and Gains

Jun 1

Written By Zak .

June 1
Argan Athlete | Performance Blog

Soreness Isn't the Signal You Think It Is

You know the feeling: You crushed a leg day or finally got back on the track, and the next morning your quads feel like cement. Some athletes wear that soreness like a badge of honor. Others get discouraged when they don't feel anything at all after training.

Here’s the reality: Soreness is a signal, but not the scoreboard. It tells you something happened, but it doesn’t always mean it was productive. And lack of soreness doesn’t mean your workout didn’t count.

At Argan Athlete, we hear this question all the time:

“Should I be sore after every session?”

The answer is no. And sometimes, chasing soreness can sabotage your performance, delay recovery, and even increase injury risk.

What Is DOMS, Really?

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) typically sets in between 12 to 72 hours after a training session. It’s most common after:

Returning to training after a break
High-volume or high-intensity workouts
Eccentric-heavy movements like Romanian deadlifts or tempo squats
Introducing new exercises or movement patterns

On a physiological level, DOMS involves:

Microtears in muscle fibers (especially under eccentric load)
Fluid shifts and temporary inflammation in the tissue
Increased sensitivity of nerve endings (even without true injury)

This doesn’t mean you damaged something. It means your system was exposed to a novel or intense stress. That can be a good thing in the right dose—but over time, the goal of good training is to need less of that response, not more.

Soreness: What’s Normal, and What’s Not

Normal soreness:

Mild to moderate
Located in the muscles you actually trained
Resolves within 24 to 72 hours
Doesn’t affect your sleep or gait
Allows you to move, even if it’s a little uncomfortable

Red-flag soreness:

Sharp, stabbing, or located in joints rather than muscles
Lasting more than 4 days
Getting worse with movement rather than better
Causing significant loss of mobility or strength
Accompanied by swelling, bruising, or systemic fatigue

If you’re consistently sore after every workout, or if your soreness is interfering with your sport, that’s not grit. That’s mismanagement.

What Soreness Can Tell You

Smart athletes and coaches use soreness as a form of feedback. It can help answer questions like:

Was this training session too aggressive given my recovery status?
Are my stabilizers doing enough work, or did my prime movers get crushed?
Did I introduce too much novelty at once?
Am I under-recovering or under-nourishing between sessions?

For example, if you feel excessive quad soreness every time you squat but never feel your glutes working, that might reflect a motor control or sequencing issue—not just a “tough workout.”

If soreness is always shifting randomly or showing up in unexpected places, your movement pattern might be inconsistent. That’s worth investigating.

What Science Actually Says About Soreness and Gains

Let’s kill the biggest myth right now: You do not have to be sore to build muscle or improve performance.

In fact, some of the most productive training phases involve minimal soreness and maximal consistency. That’s what allows progressive overload to happen without frequent downtime.

Studies have shown:

Soreness isn’t reliably correlated with muscle hypertrophy (Schoenfeld et al., 2017)
Elite athletes often train at high volumes with minimal DOMS due to proper periodization and adaptation
Excessive DOMS can reduce motor output, impair force production, and increase injury risk when not properly managed

The key is planned stress with intentional recovery. Not chaos.

What We Do at Argan Athlete When Soreness Becomes a Pattern

At our North Richland Hills clinic, we work with everyone from weekend warriors to competitive athletes. When someone comes in sore all the time, we start with a three-part audit:

Training Load & Movement Quality
We assess whether the training volume, tempo, and mechanics are appropriate for the athlete’s current tissue capacity. If you’re getting crushed by every session, your nervous system may be under too much strain. Quality trumps volume.
Recovery Systems
We ask: How’s your sleep? Are you eating enough to match your output? Are you taking care of your hydration and mobility? If the basics are off, no supplement or massage gun will save you.
Autoregulation & Readiness
We use subjective and objective markers like grip strength, vertical jump, HRV trends, sleep latency, and even skin temperature to determine training readiness. We train smarter, not randomly.

Beginner or Returning to Training? Start Here.

If you’re just getting started or coming back after a break:

Ease into load and volume. Start with 1–2 sets instead of jumping to 4.
Focus on tempo control. Slow eccentrics are great, but they need recovery built in.
Stay consistent. Soreness is highest after long gaps in training. Regular exposure builds resilience.
Recover on purpose. Move between sessions with walking, swimming, mobility, or yoga—not just rest.

Remember: Your goal is to adapt, not just to survive your workout.

Recovery for the Advanced Athlete

If you’re an experienced athlete managing soreness patterns, here are three things we recommend often:

Contrast Workouts: Pairing high-threshold lifts with low-load recovery sessions (e.g. sled pushes + breath-based mobility)
Sequencing Training Weeks: Plan hard sessions after rest days, and align deloads with life stressors
Precision Nutrition: Especially during hot DFW summers, electrolyte balance and carbohydrate timing can affect soreness and cramping more than most athletes realize

In North Texas? You're Probably Dehydrated

Let’s get specific. If you’re training in Keller, Colleyville, or anywhere near Fort Worth during the summer, your hydration strategy matters.

Mild dehydration can increase DOMS, reduce power output, and prolong recovery.
This includes:

Poor muscle perfusion
Increased core temperature during workouts
Slower clearance of metabolic waste

We often prescribe individualized fluid + sodium plans, especially for runners and CrossFit athletes sweating through double sessions or training outdoors.

Final Thoughts: Soreness Is a Signal, Not a Goal

You don’t need to chase pain to grow.
You don’t need to “earn” your rest day by limping.
And you definitely don’t need to ignore persistent soreness just to prove your toughness.

At Argan Athlete, we help athletes interpret what their body is telling them. Soreness can be useful—but only if you know what to do with it.

Whether you’re trying to build smarter training habits or finally recover from chronic overtraining, we’re here to help you move better, train with clarity, and stop guessing.

Want help with your recovery system?
We work with runners, lifters, and high-performing adults across Southlake, Colleyville, Keller, and surrounding areas.

Zak .