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When I go to the gym for e.g. a hard chest workout, the next day or two I can feel my chest be a little sore while it tries to recover.

But I never get this feeling with my thighs and calfs although I feel that during my workout I push them near their limits.

During the exercise, I can feel them burning, like any other muscle, but I feel that they recover way too quickly after the exercise. I feel like I can work them out two days in a row and push them to their limit without any problem (I don't do this).

I have by no means extremely trained feet; they are normal.

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  • Regarding thighs, what exercises are you doing when training them? Jan 21, 2016 at 11:59

2 Answers 2

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First of all, soreness is definitely not a good tool to measure your training session quality. There is some correlation between the "damage level" and the feeling of soreness, but the lack of soreness doesn't indicate a too low-intensity workout.

There are a few points I suggest you to think about in order to assess your training:

  • Priority: Do I train calves only in the end of the session? Am I considering other muscle groups to be more important in the session?
  • Volume: Do I put more effort into other muscle groups over my calves? Am I performing significantly more sets/reps when training other muscle groups?

In addition to that, remember that calves are actually used daily, so it's a bit harder to challenge them. Vary the reps range, do supersets, etc, anything that will shock your body. Don't train the same group on consecutive days, but find the way to increase the muscle stimulus in the current workouts.

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  • I use a whole session for my legs only, so no, I don't focus on another muscle group. I usually use a lot of weight for the first sets, then less weight with more reps for the last set. I feel them burning more this way.
    – hytromo
    Jan 21, 2016 at 15:25
  • As for the exersices, I do squats, leg press, seated calf raise and these 2: leehayward.com/exercises/legs/leg_curl2.jpg | content5.videojug.com/f4/f4049040-cb43-d781-ebcd-ff0008c93e93/…
    – hytromo
    Jan 21, 2016 at 15:28
  • My quads are dead after a similar session. My only thought is that maybe you should increase weight/reduce resting time/increase reps per set, or in other words put more intensity into the workout. Maybe add supersets. If you think that your methods are intense enough, keep in mind that the soreness is not really an indicator. BTW, have you felt soreness before? I noticed that after a few months of training, the soreness was significantly reduced. Jan 21, 2016 at 15:41
  • No, I haven't noticed any soreness, although my muscles' size has increased slightly after a few months. I will try adding supersets.
    – hytromo
    Jan 21, 2016 at 15:44
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You are having one or all of the issues:

  • You aren't doing enough weight.

  • You aren't doing enough reps.

  • You take too much time between your sets.

  • You are doing the lifts incorrectly.

Even when I was at my peak and lifting 6 days a week with two leg days (at the time had been steady for 10+ years), there was not a single time I did legs and didn't feel it the next day. Even if I totally felt horrible and half-assed a workout I would be a little sore the next day. To me when I hear something like this I feel that you are spending a lot of time in the gym doing a lot of useless things. I mean if you want to go to the gym to burn 50 extra calories and be a little active that is fine but if you are looking to get stronger or really tone up you should feel it the next day. No pain no gain.

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