It’s a common belief that muscle soreness, or that “good pain” you feel after an intense workout, is a sign you’ve had an effective workout and burned a lot of calories. But is this true? Does having sore muscles really mean you’ve burned more calories? Let’s take a closer look.
What causes muscle soreness?
Muscle soreness, also called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), refers to the dull, achy pain felt in muscles several hours to days after strenuous or unaccustomed exercise. It’s caused by microscopic tears in muscle fibers. When you exercise, you’re causing stress and small scale damage to your muscle fibers as they contract and relax under tension. This causes inflammation as your body repairs and strengthens the muscles. The soreness peaks 24-48 hours after the workout and can last up to 3-4 days.
Some common activities that can result in DOMS include:
- Lifting weights
- Running, especially downhill
- Jumping movements like box jumps or burpees
- New exercises your body isn’t used to
You’re more likely to experience DOMS if you’re new to exercise, just increased your intensity, or made changes to your regular routine. It’s a normal response as your muscles adapt to new stresses and regain strength after being broken down through exercise.
Are sore muscles an indicator of calorie burn?
Many people assume that if they’re really sore after a workout, it means they’ve burned a lot of calories and had an extra effective workout. But this isn’t necessarily true. Post-exercise muscle soreness is not a reliable indicator of how many calories you’ve burned. Here’s why:
You can burn a lot of calories without getting sore
If you do an intense cardio workout like running, cycling, or swimming, you can burn a high number of calories without ending up very sore. These aerobic activities don’t cause as much muscle damage as resistance training. But they can still require a lot of energy and burn through plenty of calories.
For example, a 155 pound person may burn around 298 calories jogging at a 5 mph pace for 30 minutes. But their leg muscles probably won’t be very sore the next day. The calories burned are more related to the duration and intensity of the workout than the amount of post-exercise soreness.
You can get sore without burning a lot of calories
On the flip side, it’s also possible to get very sore after exercising without burning a high number of calories. Weight training is a good example of this. Lifting a heavy weight till failure for a few reps can cause a lot of microscopic muscle damage and soreness. But because the duration is short and it’s not an aerobic activity, the total calorie burn isn’t necessarily sky-high.
For instance, a 155 pound person may get sore after a set of 6 heavy barbell squats but would only burn around 13 calories doing them. The soreness is not an accurate reflection of the calories expended.
Everyone’s response to exercise is individual
Finally, keep in mind that the amount of post workout muscle soreness can vary widely between different people and workouts.
Some major factors that affect soreness include:
- Fitness level – Beginners tend to get more sore than experienced exercisers
- Age – Younger adults tend to get more sore than older adults
- Genetics – Some people naturally experience more or less DOMS
- Workout type – Eccentric exercises cause more soreness
So just because your friend gets really sore after spinning class doesn’t mean you’ll have the same response. The soreness you experience for a given workout depends on your individual traits.
In summary, soreness isn’t a gauge for calorie burn because:
- You can burn lots of calories without getting sore
- You can get sore without burning a ton of calories
- Soreness varies widely between people and workouts
While it sounds logical that more soreness = more calories torched, that’s simply not the case. Don’t rely on muscle soreness as an indicator of calories burned.
Does muscle soreness increase calorie burn?
Okay, so sore muscles don’t necessarily mean you burned extra calories during your workout. But what about after your workout? Could being sore lead to a higher calorie burn in the hours or days following exercise?
Post-workout calorie burn is increased after intense exercise
It’s true that the calories you burn can remain elevated after intense exercise thanks to a phenomenon called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).
After a tough workout, your body has an increased need for oxygen to help repair damaged muscle fibers, replenish energy stores, and adapt to the exercise stress. This can boost the metabolism for 24-48 hours post-workout, resulting in additional calorie burn.
Some research shows that high intensity exercise and resistance training can create a larger “afterburn effect.” But the total extra calories burned through EPOC are relatively small – likely only an extra 100-200 calories.
Soreness itself does not necessarily increase calorie burn
While strenuous exercise that causes soreness can increase post-workout calorie burn through EPOC, the soreness itself does not appear to significantly increase calorie expenditure.
There’s little evidence that more soreness = more calories burned after exercise. It’s the intensity of the workout that matters most for EPOC rather than the degree of muscle soreness experienced.
This means an intense workout that leaves you very sore will burn more post-exercise calories than an easy recovery workout. But a moderate workout that leaves you really sore won’t burn dramatically more calories than a moderate workout with minimal soreness.
Increased metabolism from muscle damage is very minor
What about the calories needed just for muscle repair and recovery? It’s true the body needs energy to heal damaged muscle tissues, but studies show the bump in metabolism from this process is very minor.
One study found that the protein synthesis and muscle remodeling that occurs after resistance training only increases calorie burn by about 3-4% over 24-48 hours. That equates to just a handful of extra calories.
In summary:
- Intense exercise can increase post-workout calorie burn through EPOC
- But the soreness itself does not significantly increase calorie expenditure
- Calories burned for muscle recovery is minimal
While your metabolism is temporarily boosted after strenuous exercise, the extra calories burned is fairly small and primarily determined by workout intensity, not soreness levels.
Tips for managing and preventing muscle soreness
Now that we’ve established sore muscles don’t necessarily burn a ton of extra calories, here are some tips for managing DOMS when it strikes:
1. Gradually increase exercise intensity
Making gradual upgrades to your workouts can help minimize DOMS. Increase volume, distance, weight, or pace slowly over several workouts instead of all at once.
2. Get enough rest between workouts
Allow 24-48 hours between intense lifting sessions and at least 1 rest day per week. This allows sufficient recovery time for your muscles.
3. Do proper warmups and cooldowns
Warming up prepares your muscles for exercise and cooling down helps reduce post-workout muscle damage.
4. Use foam rolling and massage
Self-myofascial release techniques like foam rolling can help alleviate soreness by increasing blood flow to the muscles.
5. Try cold water immersion
Soaking in a cold bath or ice bath constricts blood vessels and reduces inflammation and soreness.
6. Eat protein after workouts
Consuming 20-40 grams of protein within 30 minutes after exercise provides amino acids to help rebuild muscle tissues.
7. Stay hydrated
Drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise to help deliver nutrients to muscles and remove waste products.
8. Get enough sleep
Aim for 7-9 hours per night. Quality rest allows your body to adapt to exercise and recover.
By gradually ramping up your workouts, fueling properly, and supporting your body’s recovery, you can help minimize excessively severe DOMS.
The bottom line
While it’s a common misconception, post-workout muscle soreness is not a reliable gauge for how many calories you burned during or after exercise. The intensity and duration of the workout are far more important factors for calorie expenditure than the amount of soreness felt.
That said, intense workouts that leave you sore can temporarily increase your metabolic rate through EPOC. But the effect is small and the extra calories burned are minimal. Don’t rely on feeling the “burn” as an indicator of calorie expenditure. Focus instead on the quality and challenge of your workouts. Support proper recovery to help manage soreness levels.
