Post-workout soreness should not be a measure of a successful workout. Soreness is a signaling system in your body that some muscle damage has occurred. A small amount of muscle breakdown is necessary to build more muscle but will still occur without a feeling of extreme soreness. You are bound to get sore after an intense workout here and there; but, feeling sore after a workout should not be the goal. Thinking about soreness from an evolutionary prospective, muscle soreness is beneficial to signal to us to take it easy the next day to avoid the risk of further muscle damage. Our bodies are designed to perform physical activity every day and to adapt to the necessary work load. Work your muscles too hard, and you will become sore and weak the next couple of days to recover from being over-stressed. Maintaining an appropriate exertion level does not need to go beyond the feeling of mild discomfort. But instead, slowly increasing your work load as your body adapts over time. People often push themselves into a zone of discomfort that leaves them not wanting to move and work out the next day. For optimal function and injury prevention you should first increase the amount of daily movement instead of the intensity. Incorporate some amount of exercise and movement throughout your day instead of pushing your body to its physical limits for an hour a few times a week.
