The dreaded DOMS

You know that feeling when you wake up in the morning and your body aches from the workout you did the day before?

Reaching above your head to wash your hair is such a struggle that you wonder if you can just stick a cap on your head and tell your colleagues that you’re having a bad hair day.

You can’t imagine bending down to tie your shoe laces and are seriously considering whether Velcro shoes are back in fashion.

You pretend you don’t need the loo as you know that getting up again is going to take a herculean effort.

Please tell me it is not just me that has these thoughts...

Most of us will have experienced muscle soreness after starting a new workout, using muscles we haven’t worked for a while, or if we are new or returning to exercise after any kind of break. If you have ever felt sore one to three (occasionally even seven) days after a workout, then it is highly likely you’ve experienced DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.

I recently experienced the seven-day DOMS after pushing a bit too hard in a gym session, which is what has prompted this blog post!

People new to exercise are more likely to feel it as they are exposing their muscles to unfamiliar stress and may also be more likely to overdo their training in the initial stages. In addition, people who are emphasising the eccentric phase of a muscle contraction (known as ‘negatives’) as part of their training will also be more affected. There also seems to be some variation based on genetics and whether the person is dealing with other types of physical or metabolic stress (dehydration being just one example).

What causes the soreness?

Whilst there is some disagreement about the exact cause, it is generally thought to be a natural inflammatory response to the microscopic tears in our muscles that exercise creates.

As we exercise, we cause small tears or micro-traumas in the muscle fibres; whilst this may sound like a bad thing, it is actually what results in our muscles growing stronger. The body adapts when it is presented to a challenge over and above what it is used to (known as overload). As long as we provide adequate nutrition and recovery time, the fibres repair themselves so they are stronger than they were before. This way, the body is ready to handle a similar scenario if it were to happen again.

How clever is that?! Our body learns from experience and prepares itself in case it happens again. I love the body!

So, whether we are lifting a greater weight, running further or cycling faster, our body gradually learns to adapt to this new way of training, and that is what leads to gains in our strength, speed or endurance.

But it is not all about overload... Adequate rest and recovery are just as important

Whilst gradually overloading our muscles is important if we want to get fitter, recovery is just as important. It is during the recovery phase that the body rebuilds itself, and it is then that it becomes stronger and more able to deal with future challenges.

If we train too intensely or too soon before our body has recovered from the previous workout, it can actually backfire and reduce our overall strength.

Whilst rest is not an excuse to sit on the sofa doing nothing for 48 hours, it is important to listen to your body. Try doing some gentle, low-impact exercise such as walking, swimming or restorative stretching, which are all great ways to engage in active recovery.

Is there anything else that helps with DOMS?

You’ll likely hear of many suggestions for dealing with DOMS as we seek ways to get ourselves out of feeling sore and back to a point where we can comfortably exercise. These include foam rolling, cold baths, Epsom bath salts, and compression socks. By all means, try them and see whether they work for you, but in my experience, time, active recovery, and good nutrition are what work best.

The good news is that as your body gets used to exercising or a new workout, the delayed soreness should become less intense. Your muscles will learn to adapt more quickly and react less intensely (known as the ‘repeated bout effect’).

However, if you find you are getting so sore that you are put off exercise altogether, or the soreness is actually more of a pain that does not go away, make sure you ease off. More pain does not mean more progress. As always, it is about finding the right balance for you and your body.

#fitness #personaltraining #fourfoundationsfitness