Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
A WORD ABOUT DELAYED ONSET MUSCLE SORENESS
When starting or changing a leg workout, it is common to experience the soreness not the same day, or even the next day. But two days later you can barely walk.
This is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and it is a good thing if done sparingly. It will feel terrible, that second day after the workout. You might not even be able to get up stairs. You may consider quitting, you might even think you have done some damage. But a week or two after, you will feel strong and you will find you will be able to do the same workout that produced the distress without DOMS re-occurring. You have experienced a quick gain! Never has the saying "No pain, no gain" been proven so dramatically correct.
You may be tempted to do this regularly BUT it is a bad idea. The body cannot take several of these consecutively. Not only are you substantially crippled for a day or two, but the cumulative stress will lead you to negative gains in a classic case of overtraining. This method is most effective when it occurs naturally as you change up your workouts, no more often than every other month. It's your body's way of letting you know your limits - limits that get pushed higher.
Interestingly, DOMS is the most common cause of early termination of gym memberships, extremely common in Januarys when new, unconditioned members try to catch up with years of missed workouts in one cathartic gym session. They get DOMS and associate that with injury, but we know better.
DOMS PROCEDURE AS IT RELATES TO LEG WORKOUTS
How to tell DOMS apart from injury:
If soreness lasts beyond 72 hours, or if pain exists or starts in the same time period, you are experiencing injury together with, or instead of, DOMS. Your workout exceeded the body's capacity and you have strained, not trained, the muscle. Have a trainer or doctor look at it, and do not train that part for two weeks, or as recommended.
When starting or changing a leg workout, it is common to experience the soreness not the same day, or even the next day. But two days later you can barely walk.
This is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and it is a good thing if done sparingly. It will feel terrible, that second day after the workout. You might not even be able to get up stairs. You may consider quitting, you might even think you have done some damage. But a week or two after, you will feel strong and you will find you will be able to do the same workout that produced the distress without DOMS re-occurring. You have experienced a quick gain! Never has the saying "No pain, no gain" been proven so dramatically correct.
You may be tempted to do this regularly BUT it is a bad idea. The body cannot take several of these consecutively. Not only are you substantially crippled for a day or two, but the cumulative stress will lead you to negative gains in a classic case of overtraining. This method is most effective when it occurs naturally as you change up your workouts, no more often than every other month. It's your body's way of letting you know your limits - limits that get pushed higher.
Interestingly, DOMS is the most common cause of early termination of gym memberships, extremely common in Januarys when new, unconditioned members try to catch up with years of missed workouts in one cathartic gym session. They get DOMS and associate that with injury, but we know better.
DOMS PROCEDURE AS IT RELATES TO LEG WORKOUTS
- Start with a dramatic change in workout methodology - e.g. you switch to using heavy weights/ low reps but lots of sets.
- No distress during the workout. In fact you enjoy the new movements and you fly through the workout, and may try extra sets or increasing the weights to PR's.
- You're pretty happy after the workout. IMPORTANT: Consume extra protein, as well as supplementation for muscle growth, as well as a variety of food and vitamins, to compensate for deficits run up by your body under extreme strain.
- The next day will bring some soreness. Many athletes who have experienced this many times state that a cardio workout will absolve some of the major soreness that will come tomorrow, by way of flushing lactic acid. I personally find this beneficial in the extreme. It is even more important to consume extra protein at this point.
- Two days later, DOMS sets in, and you maybe immobilized to the point you want to order a Rascal. Move around anyway, but today is not a good day for the gym. Realize that what you are feeling is muscles rebuilding such that they are stronger and denser. It is absolutely essential to continue elevated protein intake.
- DOMS soreness may continue through 72 hours. If it continues much longer, your originating workout was probably too intense and you are in overtraining.
How to tell DOMS apart from injury:
If soreness lasts beyond 72 hours, or if pain exists or starts in the same time period, you are experiencing injury together with, or instead of, DOMS. Your workout exceeded the body's capacity and you have strained, not trained, the muscle. Have a trainer or doctor look at it, and do not train that part for two weeks, or as recommended.
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