Usually, yes. Mild soreness a day or two after a workout is normal, especially after a new exercise or a break, and most people can train through it. If a muscle is very sore, you can train other muscles that day, go lighter, or rest. Soreness also isn't a sign that a workout worked.
What muscle soreness is
The ache you feel a day or two after a hard or new workout is called DOMS, short for delayed onset muscle soreness. A 2019 review found it usually starts 12 to 24 hours after an unfamiliar workout, peaks between 24 and 72 hours, and is gone within 5 to 7 days.
The lowering part of a lift, called the eccentric, causes the most soreness. That's why the first week of a new program, a new exercise, or your first workout back after a break tends to leave you the most sore.
Can you work out when you're sore?
For mild soreness, most people train as normal and feel it ease once they warm up. Soreness can cost you some performance, though. A 2024 review of 20 studies found that sprint speed and quick changes of direction stayed lower for up to 3 days after hard workouts built to leave muscles sore.
If a muscle is very sore, you have a few options:
- Train different muscles that day. An upper lower or push pull legs split does this by design. See Push pull legs vs upper lower vs full body.
- Keep the workout but go lighter, with fewer sets or less weight.
- Take a rest day or do some easy cardio instead.
Moving a session doesn't cost you much. A 2019 meta-analysis found that when weekly sets were the same, training a muscle more or less often made little difference to muscle growth, and the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 position stand reached the same conclusion. What matters most is the work you get in over the week. See How many sets per week to build muscle?
We couldn't find good research from recent years on whether training a sore muscle slows its recovery, so we're not making a claim either way.
Does soreness mean a good workout?
No. A 2018 review found that training that's easier on your muscles in the days after still builds about the same muscle and strength as training that leaves them beat up. It also found that the size gains in your first few sessions are mostly swelling, not new muscle. The 2019 review found that how sore you feel doesn't line up well with what's actually happening in the muscle.
So not being sore doesn't mean your workout didn't work. A better sign is whether your weights or reps go up over the weeks. See Progressive overload explained.
Why soreness fades as you keep training
Your muscles adapt to a workout after doing it once, so the same workout hurts less the next time. Researchers call this the repeated bout effect. A 2023 meta-analysis in untrained people found that one earlier, lighter session of the same kind of exercise cut soreness a lot in the days after the next hard one.
The protection doesn't last forever. A 2026 trial in young men found it was still clear 3 and 6 weeks after the first workout and gone by 12 weeks. That's why coming back after a few months off can leave you as sore as your first week. Starting with lighter weights for the first week or two of a new program can take the edge off. Our beginner gym workout plan starts this way.
What helps soreness
A 2018 meta-analysis of 99 studies compared common recovery methods. Several lowered soreness, and a few did nothing:
| Method | Effect on soreness |
|---|---|
| Massage | Largest drop |
| Active recovery (easy movement) | Moderate drop |
| Compression clothing | Moderate drop |
| Cold therapy and cold water | Small drop |
| Stretching | No change |
- Foam rolling: a 2019 meta-analysis found it eased soreness a little after exercise, but the authors called the effects minor.
- Stretching: a 2021 meta-analysis found that stretching after exercise didn't reduce soreness at 24, 48 or 72 hours, or help strength come back.
- Cold water: a 2023 meta-analysis found that regular cold-water baths after lifting reduced strength gains over time, in studies made up mostly of men. An occasional ice bath for soreness is different from one after every workout.
When it's more than soreness
Normal soreness is a dull ache in the muscles you trained that fades over a few days. Sharp pain, swelling, pain in a joint, or pain that keeps getting worse is different. If your elbows, knees or shoulders ache going into workouts, see What is a deload week? After an extreme workout, dark or cola-colored urine with severe muscle pain and weakness can be a sign of a rare condition called rhabdomyolysis, and that needs a doctor right away.
Common questions
Is it bad if I'm not sore after a workout?
No. Soreness goes down as your muscles get used to your training, and the 2018 review found that workouts that are easier on your muscles build about the same muscle. Your weights and reps going up over time are a better sign of progress.
How long does muscle soreness last?
Usually a few days. It tends to peak 1 to 3 days after a workout and is gone within 5 to 7 days.
Is it OK to do cardio when I'm sore?
Yes, easy cardio is fine. In the 2018 meta-analysis, active recovery like light cycling or walking lowered soreness.
Why am I so sore after taking time off?
The protection your muscles build against soreness wears off. In the 2026 trial, it was gone 12 weeks after the first workout, so your first sessions back can feel like starting over.
Sources
- Hody S. et al. Eccentric muscle contractions: risks and benefits. Frontiers in Physiology (2019).
- Harrison D.C. et al. Acute effects of exercise-induced muscle damage on sprint and change of direction performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biology of Sport (2024).
- Schoenfeld B.J. et al. How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. Journal of Sports Sciences (2019).
- Currier B.S. et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: resistance training prescription for muscle function, hypertrophy, and physical performance in healthy adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (2026). (Disclosure: one author formerly advised a fitness equipment company.)
- Damas F. et al. The development of skeletal muscle hypertrophy through resistance training: the role of muscle damage and muscle protein synthesis. European Journal of Applied Physiology (2018).
- Boyd L. et al. The effects of pre-conditioning on exercise-induced muscle damage: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine (2023).
- Theodorou A.A. et al. The duration of the repeated-bout effect after eccentric exercise. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports (2026).
- Dupuy O. et al. An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology (2018).
- Wiewelhove T. et al. A meta-analysis of the effects of foam rolling on performance and recovery. Frontiers in Physiology (2019).
- Afonso J. et al. The effectiveness of post-exercise stretching in short-term and delayed recovery of strength, range of motion and delayed onset muscle soreness: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in Physiology (2021).
- Grgic J. Effects of post-exercise cold-water immersion on resistance training-induced gains in muscular strength: a meta-analysis. European Journal of Sport Science (2023).
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Rhabdomyolysis (reviewed 2025).
