Soreness or injury: when to keep going and when to stop
Telling soreness from a warning, and what to do with each.
Soreness
It shows up 12 to 48 hours later, it is diffuse, it hits both sides evenly and it eases once you warm up. It is not a sign of a good session or of anything else: brutal workouts can leave none, and a new exercise can leave you limping for three days. You can train with soreness.
A warning
Sharp pain you can point at with one finger, in a joint, showing up on one specific movement and not easing with warm-up. That one you do not push through. Swap the exercise for one that does not trigger it, drop the load and give it a week or two: most things caught early sort themselves out.
When to see a doctor
Pain that does not settle in two or three weeks, that wakes you at night, that comes with swelling, clear loss of strength or pins and needles. No loading scheme helps there, and an app helps even less: that is for a professional to look at.
More guides
How many sets a muscle needs per week
The number that decides whether you grow. Not four, not forty.
Close to failure, not always to failure
What RIR is, why you leave one or two reps in the tank, and when to push.
Progress without stalling: double progression
When to add weight, when to add reps, and why not both at once.
How long to rest between sets
Two minutes is not a quirk: it is the reps on your next set.
Once a week per muscle is not enough
Why splitting your volume over two or three days beats one hammering.
Protein: how much and how to spread it
The daily total is what matters. The exact timing, far less than you hear.
Muscle is built while you sleep
Training is the signal; sleep is when the work actually gets done.
Stalled: what to check before switching routines
It is almost never the routine. Five things to check first.
Supplements: what has evidence and what doesn't
This is general information written from the training literature, not medical advice or a personalised plan. If you take medication, have a health condition or something genuinely hurts, the person to ask is a healthcare professional.