Question
I really like your workouts. The Blueprint changed my thinking about not only how often to change my workouts, but also how one phase builds upon the other. I never did this before, just jumped from program to program in an attempt to get sore.
Is soreness necessary for growth, and how can I train for more soreness? I really like the feeling.
Answer
Being sore after a particularly rigorous workout is an individual matter, though it’s common in most (but not all trainees). For example, one of my trainees is a 16 year old who almost never gets sore.
I throw everything I have at him including different exercises, rep spreads, rest intervals and tempos. The most he’s ever experienced is some light soreness on the top of his traps after deadlifting, after a volume oriented workout.
Soreness goes back to many factors, not the least of which is the eccentric or lowering of the weight. Research shows that over 80% of muscle damage occurs here, so negatives may be worth looking into. I’ll caution you though that it’s very easy to over-train with negatives, as the weight you can handle far exceeds your positive (concentric) and even static strength.
Supplements & Diet
Supplementation with Arachadonic Acid has been anecdotally linked to greater soreness, and has been used with success by some trainees. The theory here is that by loading muscle tissue with it, it releases a greater amount of growth factors when the muscle is placed under load.
Diets high in red meat are high in arachidonic acid, and it’s thought that this (along with creatine content) are responsible for meats reputation as a muscle food.
Final Verdict
So, soreness is NOT required for muscle growth – although many think it is. Lemme put it this way: I could beat you with a sledgehammer and you’d be plenty sore.
It doesn’t mean you’d grow any faster.
Hope that helps.
