I hear it all the time:
“I’m sore, but it’s a good sore.”
I understand what you’re saying.
But the truth is …
There’s no such thing as a “good sore.”
At best, soreness is acceptable.
You see, soreness is a sign that you’ve worked TOO hard.
And that you haven’t fully recovered.
Your goal should be to work enough to be just short of feeling sore.
Just to the point we call the “Minimal Effective Dose.”
Or, in less fancy-pants-sciencey language …
“The Goldilocks Point.” (You know, Just Right.)
After that, more is NOT better. “More” might even be worse if you don’t recover enough before your next workout.
Sure, when you’re playing with that line between too hard and just right, you might be a little sore occasionally. That’s okay.
Just don’t aim for soreness or think it’s indicative of an effective workout.
It is not.
