Everybody’s experienced it the day or two after an intense workout. You go to bed feeling energized, invigorated and ready to take on your next workout—and wake up feeling like you’ve been hit by a bus. The simplest of tasks—from bending over to tie your shoes, walking up and down stairs, even getting up and down from your couch or bed, can be not only strenuous and difficult, but also extremely painful.
This very common muscle stiffness, soreness and fatigue that many people experience usually 24-48 hours after your workout, is known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and as annoying and painful as it can be, it is perfectly normal. In fact, it’s essential to helping you see the results you’ve worked for the previous day in the gym.
When you exercise, particularly when you’re performing high intensity workouts to strengthen, tone and build muscle mass, you’re actually causing microscopic tears in the muscle fibers. Different from the painful burn your feel during a workout—which is caused by a build up excess lactic acid in your muscles—the stiffness, inflammation and pain you feel after your workout occurs as these tiny tears begin to repair and rebuild themselves, the process which is also creating your new and stronger muscles.
So how do you deal with the effects of DOMS? And more importantly, is it safe to continue working out? Or should you wait until your muscles have completely healed before hitting the gym again?
Most agree, if your soreness is minor, then moderate exercise may actually help to alleviate your pain. However, if you’re in a substantial amount of pain, it may be best to take it easy for a few days to allow your body to heal itself. This is particularly true for beginners, who may not yet know their physical limits. A good rule of thumb is to listen to what your body is telling you. If you ignore your body, on the other hand, and continue to break down muscle tissue before it has a chance to heal, you will actually be weakening your muscles.
Here are some tips for reducing the inevitable effects of DOMS and getting your workout back on track.
- Stretch. You should be stretching thoroughly both before and after every workout regardless of intensity, but after is particularly important.
- Cardio. Healthy cardiovascular function increases blood flow and production, helping your body to heal itself faster.
- Heat. Raising your body temperature also helps bring blood flow to the injured area, bringing with it fresh oxygen and healing nutrients.
- Consistency. Waiting too long between workouts makes you more susceptible to DOMS. Consistent circuit and other cross-training activities are a good way to prevent this.
