When talking about muscle soreness brought on by strength training, It's important to make a distinction between the extent & severity of the soreness. If 2-3 days after an intense workout you find yourself unable to perform normal everyday activities...like wash your hair, brush your teeth, get out of BED! (yes, many of us have been there), then consider the fact that you may have "over-reached", not listened to your body, been pushed too hard by a butthead coach, or jumped in a class/program beyond your level. On the contrary...the mild soreness felt a day or 2 after a workout, best described as a "tight" feeling, then this is perfectly normal, and an indication that you pushed yourself hard and got a great workout in the gym! In either case, damage has taken place in the muscle...it's the level and extent of damage that determines "good soreness" over "bad soreness" and whether or not you're going to continue to crush workouts, make strength gains, and get results, or be discouraged/defeated, and turned off by your training experience. So, here are some tips to prevent excessive "bad soreness":

It's important to understand that the soreness caused by muscle tissue trauma is a result of predominantly eccentric exercises (a load/force applied to the muscle as it lengthens) like downhill running, plyometrics, and resistance training. So going into this type of training requires some research - look for quality gyms with quality coaches, and planning - assess your level of training experience, and set your standards, expectations, and goals accordingly. Once you feel you've done this:

• Scale down the weight & volume (sets x reps) of your training in the first 4-6 weeks. A progressive adaptation to eccentric exercise is an effective way to diminish the impact/extent of soreness.
• Inquire about having a functional movement screening (FMS) performed on you to asses areas where you might lack mobility & flexibility.
• Be sure to stay hydrated and increase your protein intake before and during a new strength/fitness training regimen.
• Precede your workout with a dynamic warm-up (5 minutes) incorporating things like high knee jogs, high kicks, side steps, & jumping jacks etc.
• Transition into a general warm-up (5-10 minutes) by performing some low intensity sustained metabolic work like jump rope, burpees, rowing etc.
• On days where you're really sore, try to stay active, even consider a short bout (20-30 mins) of lower intensity "recovery" training like jogging, biking, swimming etc.

All of these tips involve training smart, seeking out quality gyms, and experienced strength/fitness coaches with good reputations. Anyone training wants to see results, set new goals, and continue to progress. Training as hard as you can everyday without thiking about some of what we've just talked about can slow you down...literally! So research, plan, and THINK about your training with these tips in mind.

Citius, altius, fortius...

G.M.