This has to be the biggest complaint of anyone starting a new workout routine,their muscles are so sore in the next 24 to 48 hours after exercising.
Here is how to help prevent and treat DOMS.
For anyone who works out delayed onset muscle soreness(DOMS) is a part of the game, it can develop within 24 hours and last several days after exercise.
For the beginner its what makes them want to quit ther new exercise program right out of the gate, for the seasoned athlete it’s a sign of a great workout.
DOMS is when your muscles react to the new intence stresses you put them under in your exercise routine. This is where the old saying no pain no gain comes from.
It occurs in the eccentric or lower phase or negative movement resulting in the muscle being stretched or lenghtned.
Reguardless if you are just starting a new training routine or are an experienced athlete you are going to experience delayed onset muscle soreness along the way.
The good part is that it will effect you less as you become more athletic.
Whenever you put your muscles under a stress that they are not normally used to tiny tears develop in the muscle. On the surface this may sound like a bad thing but actually its exactly what you want to happen.
In order to get better stamina, build, or make your muscles stronger you need to keep putting new stresses on them to break them down so they can rebuild better than before you started.
But by doing so you can experience the following symptoms:
Muscle soreness, tenderness, stifness, pain, reduced range of motion or mobility, twitches or spasams, loss of strenght.
The extent of how long delayed onset muscles soreness last varies for each person depending on a number of factors.
Your physical conditioning, diet, and how often you exercise.
Working out legs has to be the number one complaint when experiencing DOMS.
You wake up the next day and its like you have to learn how to walk again except this time you have pain with each step. I think this might be why so many people avoid doing a leg day.
Things you can do to help prevent DOMS:
Warm up before your workout, always use a light weight or your body weight to warm your muscles first.
Do static stretching after your workout, stretch that muscle to its furthest point and hold that position for 10 seconds.
Consume vitamin C each day it helps repair connective tissue. Take 250mg to 1000mg a day depending on your fitness routine.
Proper nutrition pre and post workout (protein and carbohydrates)support muscle recovery and growth.
Include antioxadants in your diet to help fight free radical damge from exercise. Things like green tea, yogart, strawberries,broccoli, green leafy vegatables, fruits, tomatoes.
Things to help treat DOMS:
Get up and move the very first day, the worst thing you can do is sit still it will only make things worse.
2 days after do some other type of exercise not involving the body part that is experiencing DOMS. This will get your blood pumping and help loosen you up.
4 days after do a light, or lighter workout then the first time. As crazy as you might think this is it’s the best way to recovery from DOMS.
Lets say you did heavy squats on Monday, Thursday do light squats with a higher rep routine of 12 to 15 reps and a faster tempo( less rest).
Remember your muscles need at least 48 to 72 hours to recover from the previous exercise before you should put a heavy stress on them again.
Things to remember:
DOMS never happens during your exercise routine, if you feel something hurt while working out stop what you are doing or you can seriously hurt your recovery process.
DOMS should last a week at the most or something else could be wrong!
Want to know more read- Proper breathing for a healthy life
Tags: doms, muscle strain, soreness
Hey good article.
I would like to add omega-3 fish oil supplements to the things that you recommend to prevent/treat DOMS. The Omega-3 found in fish oil is a strong natural anti-inflammatory so it reduces the inflammation that causes DOMS. This can help prevent DOMS and reduce the time it takes to recover from it.
Thanks for the reply; i have found omega 3 fish oil supplements great for protecting my joints from being so physically active.
yeah your right omega-3s are great for joints as well and it for the same reason they are good for your muscles. Inflammation causes sore joints after workouts so by taking an omega-3 fish oil supplement your reducing the inflammation in your whole body (including joints and muscles). Make sure the fish oil you buy is purified and contains lots of omega-3 preferably above 80% (check the labeling). Otherwise you won’t get the anti-inflammatory effect because omega-3 not fish oil is what works.
Great article. I’m going to post this on my blog. I concur with the dietary advice. Other articles suggest doing a light-weight set before hitting the heavy stuff. Let’s all try it out and see who’s limping!
Thanks for the response, I loved your post on follow your heart.
I am just concerned about the main source of Omega 3 which is the liver of fish. as you can see, fishes can accumulate mercury and pcb. :”:
Don’t take omega 3 right after a workout. Yes it reduces inflammation, but that inflammation is what is needed for muscle gain. Take in whey protein and high carbs right after a workout.