The Hidden Reasons You’re Sore
- Dominique Posillico
- Feb 5
- 4 min read
That Have Nothing to Do With Lifting
It’s so common to hear someone say they had a “great workout” because they’re feeling sore afterward. Sure, soreness can sometimes show up when you challenge your body—but what most people don’t realize is that your workout isn’t the only thing influencing that soreness. In fact, relying on soreness as the main way to determine how good a workout was can be pretty misleading.
Several other factors play a role in how your body responds making you feel more or less sore, even if your actual workout hasn’t changed at all. Instead of treating soreness like a badge of honor, it’s worth understanding what’s really going on behind the scenes. Below, we’ll get into some of the biggest contributors to soreness that have nothing to do with your workout.
Recover Isn't Complicated - It's Connected
Why Water Matters
When it comes to soreness, one thing we don’t talk about enough is how much water you’re drinking. Hydration isn’t just about feeling less thirsty—it actually affects how your muscles feel and how well they bounce back after a workout. When you’re dehydrated, those muscles don’t get the same amount or quality of nutrients delivered to them. It’s not that your body stops trying—it just doesn’t have enough water to move everything where it needs to go as smoothly.
When those nutrients don’t get delivered the way they should, your recovery slows down. That’s when soreness can feel extra stubborn or last longer than normal. Water intake is one of the simplest things we can adjust, and it makes a direct difference in how well your body hydrates your muscles and supports their repair. The more hydrated you are, the easier it is for your body to do what it’s supposed to do—help you feel better, recover faster, and keep showing up for yourself. It’s a small habit, but it really does go a long way
Salt Isn’t the Enemy
Salt gets a bad reputation, but it’s actually not the enemy at all—in fact, it’s essential. Salt is one of the minerals our body truly needs, and it plays a huge role in how we stay hydrated. You can think of salt like a magnet that helps pull water into your cells. Without enough salt, your body can’t absorb or use the water you’re drinking as effectively. Yes, drinking water is incredibly important for managing soreness, but salt is part of that picture too. The two working together.
Water helps deliver nutrients, and salt helps make sure that water actually gets where it needs to go. When we have the right balance of both, our muscles stay hydrated, our recovery improves, and our body can do its job much more easily. It’s one of those small things that makes a surprisingly big difference—your body isn’t just asking for water, it’s asking for the minerals too.
When Oxygen Drops, Soreness Rises
We usually think of oxygen as just for breathing purposes, but it actually plays a huge role in how our tissues function and how our muscles bounce back after a tough workout. Oxygenated blood carries ATP—your body’s little energy molecule—straight to your tissues. That same ATP is what allows your muscles and organs to perform their job, reduce fatigue experienced from performance, and assist in repair.
After intense exercise, your body naturally starts pulling in more oxygen. It’s working hard to replenish the ATP you used up, rebuilds creatine phosphate (another energy molecule that helps rapid regeneration of ATP), and clears out metabolic waste like lactic acid which can build up. The deeper and more intentional your breathing, the better supported your muscles are during and after your workouts. It’s like giving your body the fuel it’s already asking for, helping everything recover, repair, and reset.
Stressed and Sore
Another aspect of the recovery cortisol—our body’s main stress hormone. It’s often labeled as “bad,” but just like salt, it’s not the enemy. In small bursts, cortisol is actually helpful. It gives us energy, keeps us alert, and even helps our body adapt to workouts. However, when cortisol stays high for too long, that’s when it starts to work against us. Chronically elevated cortisol can break down muscle proteins, which weakens the structure of the muscle itself. That makes it harder for your body to repair the tiny micro-tears that happen during training, slows down recovery, and can even increase your risk of strains or stress-related injuries.
This is why being mindful of your overall stress levels matters—not just for mental well-being, but for how your body feels physically. Shifting from the sympathetic nervous system (your “fight or flight” mode) into the parasympathetic nervous system (your “rest and digest” mode) gives your body the space it needs to actually rest, rebuild, and repair. When you support that switch—through breath work, sleep, downtime, gentle movement, or anything that calms your system—your body can do what it’s designed to do. Recovery becomes smoother, soreness becomes more manageable, and your muscles can finally catch a break.
Recovery Isn’t Complicated—It’s Connected
At the end of the day, soreness isn’t just about how hard you worked—it’s a mix of so many different factors working together behind the scenes. Hydration, minerals like salt, gases like oxygen, hormones like cortisol, the nervous system… they all play a part in how your body recovers, repairs, and shows up for you the next day. When even one of those aspects are off, soreness can feel louder, heavier, or more persistent than it needs to be.
Taking care of your muscles isn’t only about pushing them—it’s about supporting them. Drinking enough water, getting the right minerals, breathing deeply, managing stress, and giving your body actual rest all help you recover in a way that feels good, not draining.
And if you know someone who always jokes, “I’m sore all the time, must’ve had a great workout,” feel free to share this with them. Not to prove them wrong—but to help them feel better, move better, and support their body in a way that benefits their health in the long run. Because we all deserve to feel our best, not just push our hardest.
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