Sore Muscles Don’t Guarantee Muscle Growth.

In 2016, Sal Di Stefano from Mind Pump Media reviewed what sore muscles mean for fitness, drawing on exercise science. He explained that soreness, often linked to inflammation or lactic acid buildup, happens when you try new workouts or push too hard, not necessarily from effective training. For example, even advanced lifters get sore from unfamiliar activities like swimming, but this doesn’t mean better muscle gains.

Soreness doesn’t equal progress—only tracking strength or size gains shows if your workout works. Excessive soreness, like can’t-walk pain, signals too much intensity, risking rhabdomyolysis, where muscle damage overloads kidneys (creatinine kinase spikes up to 100x normal). Low-intensity moves, like light stretching, can speed recovery by 20-30% and boost muscle adaptation, unlike staying still, which shrinks muscles fast.

Focus on moderate workouts and track progress, not soreness, to build muscle safely.