What are DOMS?

Have you ever got up the next day and had to roll out of bed because you are that sore you can't manage to sit up straight, your response will be that was a good abdominal session yesterday. Or you go to sit down and standing back up feels like you physically can't, yep can feel those squats I did yesterday. This is due to DOMS. DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness is the pain and stiffness felt in our muscles in the hours and days that follow an intense workout. This often occurs when we are first starting out or try to increase the intensity of our workouts. It does not mean that we have injured ourselves so is no need to worry. It is usually felt as a dull aching pain along with tenderness or stiffness in the affected muscles. 

So what causes this? It is not due to lactic acid buildup or toxic metabolic waste like we spoke about in the last blog. This is what causes the soreness as we are exercising and causes us to reduce our intensity not the soreness we feel in the hours and days after. It typically occurs when our muscles have been lengthened and stretched causing microscopic tears in our muscles. There is much debate as to if this means that we have had a really productive session and are likely to build more muscle. The short answer is there is no scientific evidence to back up that having muscle soreness in the days following a workout means we are likely to build up more muscle. There are other factors which need to occur for muscle to be built, muscle damage, metabolic stress and mechanical tension. 

While DOMS are not a bad thing and they are not to be feared they are not necessary for exercise progression. How can we prevent DOMS? By gradually building up the intensity of the program and workouts we will reduce the soreness we feel in the days following each workout. Ensure you do a thorough cool down following every workout. Do not increase your reps, sets or weights by more than 10% each week. 

So in summary, DOMS are the soreness we feel in the hours and days after we exercise and they are due to small tears in our muscles but they are not to be feared and do not mean that you have an injury or a reason to prevent working out again.

Simone

xx