[hatefulmoron]

> Isn't soreness basically guaranteed to some degree if you've done enough work to actually build strength?

Not really. If you're eating/sleeping well and training consistently it's completely normal to not feel soreness (that is, excluding the immediate discomfort that rapidly subsides). I can't speak for all forms of exercise, but certainly it's normal when lifting weights, even to failure.

That said, if you're just starting out you will notice a lot of soreness. Many people look back on the early DOMS and wish they could feel that sort of "positive feedback" again.

[FredPret]

I noticed that two things make my DOMS disappear like magic:

- eating an shocking amount of spinach (works much better than a magnesium pill)

- some sort of light cardio of the affected muscles after lifting