Does pain = progress?

Is this a dumb question? When I first started lifting, I was in terrible pain every day and couldn't sleep at night. Now, I don't get very sore - sometimes not at all. Is this lack of pain an indication that I'm not working hard enough?

No.

Watson (the pencil neck) Davis

No.

-Scott Johnson 'Always with the excuses for small legs. People like you are why they only open the top half of caskets.' -Tommy Bowen

Pain? It depends. If it is a stabbing, muscle ripping, skin poking through the skin kind of pain then I'd have to say no. If it is slight muscle soreness I think you can take it as a sign that you've cause just enough trauma to stimulate some progress, though there is no gurantee that there is any progress made. The best indicator of progress would have to be if you are getting any closer to your goal.

How long have you been training? Any closer to your goal? Did you set a goal?

When I first started lifting, my goal was to lose weight (I'm a 26 yr old female). But the weight lifting has become addictive, now I want to focus on gaining muscle. I don't know what kind of goals to set in weightlifting. Before, I could say, 'I want to lose 15 lbs', but how do you set a weightlifting goal? Determined

As a general rule the more pain that's inflicted upon you as a spotter, the more progress you will make, barring injury.

Either 'I want to lift x', or 'I want to weigh x and x% body fat'. Or both.

-Scott Johnson 'be a man ,stop looking for handouts , eat ,lift and shut your mouth' -John Carlo