I'm 3 weeks into the Bill Starr 5x5 Program. I've seen gains. It's cool. Lately, though, I'm not so sore after workouts. Like.. The first few times I did squats I could feel it in every step I took afterwards. Now I don't feel the effects of lifting so much. Is this just from getting used to weights again? I'll still make gains, right? I know the Bill Starr article says things about not working to failure and such, but I'm just checking. Thanks, homies.
Yep, the initial aching is just your body getting used to the idea of exercising. Aching isn't a sign of progress. So long as you're gradually putting more weight on the bar as time passes then you're making progress.
Yeah it's just your body adapting to the stress better, totally normal! You should only worry when your lifting starts to plateau, which usually means time to change the training stimulus
I wish every newbie who starts a bodypart split program could share the sentiment! Ditto what everyone else says, DOMS=/=Progress. If your making gains and your diet fits your goals then everything is well
:google: DOMS stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. It's the flashy name for the soreness you're describing.
If you lift on day 1, DOMS hurts you on day 3. It's the kind of thing where you think, "Man- this didn't hurt yesterday- what's the deal?!"
The volume doesn't really start to catch up to you until weeks 5-7 when you start hitting a new PR each week in each lift hopefully. You wont feel sore, but you may start feeling more tired. Enjoy your recovery time and use it wisely.
Soreness is just what your body goes through initially as previously stated, don't rely on it to know you've gotten a good work out, it stops occurring soon enough. Good luck on your program.
