Friday, December 28, 2012

Maybe I'll Just Never Move Again

Merry (belated) Christmas! I've been traveling for the holidays, finally coming to a stop in Washington state at my parents' house. I'm couch surfing so my little niece can have a room to herself. It's a good thing she's adorable. :)

I went to the gym Wednesday with my Dad and sister-in-law. I talked my sister-in-law into doing this superset workout that always, always makes me super sore. Maybe I'll rename it the super-sore workout. I knew it would be especially bad this time when my legs were already hurting as I left the gym. 

Given the large amounts of pain I've been in for the last 48 hours, I've toyed with the idea of just never moving again. I did, however, make it to the gym again today. All I could do was spend some time (~50 minutes) on the bike and the elliptical before heading over to do some half-hearted core work. I finished it off with some stretching and foam rolling. When I got to my quads, I about cried. Seriously.

So here's my question, do you always have to be sore after a workout to be improving or making progress? When I lift weights consistently there comes a point when I'm no longer sore after my workouts. I still feel like I'm working, and I'll increase my weight intermittently, but is pain the only way to know you're improving? Inquiring minds need to know...

Happy New Year! I'm thinking about my plan of attack for my resolutions!