Is soreness a useful measure of a good workout?

A little muscle soreness can follow a productive workout, but it doesn’t prove the workout was effective—and a lack of soreness doesn’t mean it failed. For adults doing resistance training, soreness is better treated as feedback about how your body responded to a session, not a score for workout quality. More useful clues are whether you trained with control, can recover for your next session, and are gradually improving over time.

What soreness can—and can’t—tell you

Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is discomfort that may develop after exercise, especially after a new or unusually demanding activity. It can happen after a workout, but it does not directly measure muscle growth, strength gains, or whether you chose the right amount of exercise. In a small study of 13 previously untrained men, researchers observed early muscle growth over seven training sessions without significant soreness or other measured signs of muscle damage. The study is limited in size and population, but it illustrates why soreness isn’t a requirement for progress. Study details

Soreness can still be useful in context: if you changed your routine and feel much more sore than usual, that may be a cue to ease into the new movements or reduce the next session’s workload. But it’s not a precise gauge of how hard you trained. A familiar workout may produce little soreness while still challenging you; a new exercise may leave you sore even if it wasn’t a particularly well-planned session.

Better ways to assess a workout

For a recreational lifter, try this simple check after each session:

These are practical suggestions, not a guarantee of results. Progress may look different depending on your goals, experience, and routine. For instance, if you’re new to squats, mild thigh soreness the next day is one response—not proof of a great session. If your squat repetitions or technique improve over the coming weeks, that gives you a more meaningful trend to follow.

When to adjust

If ordinary muscle tenderness makes daily movement or your next workout difficult, consider reducing the next session’s load or number of sets, and build back gradually. Don’t chase soreness by adding extra sets or trying unfamiliar exercises just to feel more afterward. Sharp, sudden, or joint-focused pain is different from general muscle tenderness; stop the movement that triggers it and seek appropriate medical advice if it’s severe, persistent, or concerning.

If having a workout partner would make it easier to stay consistent, Actively helps adults find nearby workout partners and active friends through shared activity interests, mutual matching, and chat. It’s a way to connect—not a workout log or coaching service.

The practical takeaway: notice soreness, but don’t use it as your report card. Consistent training and gradual, repeatable progress are better things to track.