Soreness after workouts (DOMS)

[VeganJT666]

How much soreness do you all experience after workouts, and how long is the recovery time? Sometimes I am sore for days after a workout, especially if I go hard, and I don't know how to really alleviate it. Do I need to eat more? I feel like days I work out I eat a ton of food, but I am more sore than I have ever been. Or am I just being a baby about it? Any advice or stuff would be appreciated.

[mrbear666]

hey mate, i trained real hard on monday still pretty sore today.......eaten loads, streched alot, slept well, done light cardio etc.......if you train intensely, its going to hurt for a while. i used to think protein was the answer but i barely eat any now and am no worse off, maybe even slightly better. i always try to get plenty of sugar in after a hard workout such as fruit, and fruit juices and that helps.

 

 

 

 

mike

[asparagus]

I don't generally do a lot of volume, so that probably keeps me from getting sore, but I also think stretching and hydration are the key. I always make sure I'm well hydrated going into a workout, stretch dynamically while warming up before for about 5-10 minutes, lift heavy, then stretch statically after for another 5-10 minutes. It makes my workouts a bit longer than I like, but I think stretching is essential.

[jamesxvx]

Stretching and a big warmup before your workout, followed by stretching and a foam roller. Should help a bit, DOMS is going to happen. I think its an indicator that you're working hard

[maybenot]

Is it true that some kind of stretching actually promotes muscle growth after workouts?

[jamesxvx]

I'm not too sure, I now a solid warmup and stretching before get the muscles ready for weight thats about to be dropped on them and I've noticed a difference since starting a warmup and stretch before each workout

[Mini Forklift]

Lots of passive stretching during the workout, and if I'm training legs then an easy 5-10mins cardio straight afterwards helps to flush out lactic acid and reduce DOMS.

 

I'm lucky I don't get much in the way of muscle soreness, but if I feel tired I don't hesitate to take an extra rest day.

[thecookiemonster]

Depends. I started up Brandon Lilly's Cube method recently so I am still adjusting to the volume, and of course feeling much more soreness than I usually would. It varies but usually every time I switch something up or add in more volume I get more sore.

 

I find that lots of fresh fruits and veggies help with DOMS. Also BCAA's, creatine, sleep, foam rolling, and stretching!!

[Mini Forklift]

Nice to see another 'Cuber' on here. Solid programme aye ?!

[Kon]

What does it mean when you get sore not the next day but the following day after that (so you workout day 1, don't get sore the 2nd, and then get sore the 3rd)..? Is that normal?

[mrbear666]

yeh its perfectly normal hence the name, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

[thecookiemonster]

Nice to see another 'Cuber' on here. Solid programme aye ?!

 

Very! Loving it so far. Planning to continue working with Brandon after it's finished.

[boodie]

How much soreness do you all experience after workouts, and how long is the recovery time? Sometimes I am sore for days after a workout, especially if I go hard, and I don't know how to really alleviate it. Do I need to eat more? I feel like days I work out I eat a ton of food, but I am more sore than I have ever been. Or am I just being a baby about it? Any advice or stuff would be appreciated.

 

It used to be thought that speeding recovery and preventing DOMS was as simple as increasing protein, fats and carbohydrates intake. Now, however, its clear that while repairing structural damage to skeletal muscles by nutritional means is relatively simple, controlling or reducing the inflammatory response to exercise and preventing or reducing the painful symptoms that come with DOMS is more complicated.

 

Until recently, the only anti-DOMS recourse for athletes has been to use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like ibuprofen. Unfortunately these over-the-counter pain killers stunt muscle growth2 and can damage the liver.

 

Despite the risk of side effects, the medical community has considered the safety/efficiency ratio satisfying enough to accept the administration of NSAIDs. With recent data however such a practice should be seriously scrutinized.

 

Using enzymes to combat DOMS is well established. A study by Innerfield in 1957 examined the anti-inflammatory effects of protease enzyme therapy and showed that protease enzyme supplementation may have anti-inflammatory effects.3 Unfortunately, absorption issues and the destruction of enzymes in the gut have severely limited the effectiveness of traditional anti-DOMS enzyme therapy.

 

Typically, the absorption rate of orally ingested enzymes is low - with protease enzymes absorption rates ranging between 40% for bromelain and greater for mixed protease products4, and a rate of about 5% absorption for orally ingested sitosterols.5

 

To solve these absorption difficulties, scientists added the ingredient piperine to enzyme mixtures. They found that piperine - an ingredient extracted from pepper - increased enzyme absorption by up to 60%!6,7

 

Source: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/south127.htm

[Mini Forklift]

Ice baths are painful but great to ease DOMS, when I was doing triathlon we often headed back out to stand in the sea after a race.

 

Thanks for that info on enzymes Boodie.

[Kon]

Is it better to have longer DOMS or shorter DOMS?

[rickb]

I'm a weirdo and love DOMS! Makes me think I did a good job trashing my muscles

[jungleinthefrunk]

yeah if i dont have doms im depressed and feel like i didnt go hard enough.

[awaken375]

For the 9 months that I weightlifted heavy several years ago

 

I had DOMS very strongly for less than a month. After working a specific muscle in a specific direction only a few times, it doesn't come back for me.

 

Treat it like a rite of passage to have DOMS and assume it will fade quickly..

 

I'd assume quickening recovery via protein drinks, water and rest should be enough. (And maybe supplementing theanine for alpha waves(muscle regen)/relaxation)

[Kon]

So having shorter doms is better?

[awaken375]

Depends if you like feeling sore. I don't think there's a better or worse involved

[rickb]

So having shorter doms is better?

 

The only time it's mattered to me is if I wanted to repeat a bodypart in the same week but was too sore to do so. What a lot of people don't understand is that you don't grow while you are in the gym. You tear yourself down there which does cause micro-tears in your muscles and when you heal up with diet and rest....that's when you are apt to get stronger. When I stop getting DOMS for specific bodypart...I switch things up. I do however think you can progress even in muscles you don't necessarily get DOMS in. But I like it.

[awaken375]

So having shorter doms is better?

 

The only time it's mattered to me is if I wanted to repeat a bodypart in the same week but was too sore to do so. What a lot of people don't understand is that you don't grow while you are in the gym. You tear yourself down there which does cause micro-tears in your muscles and when you heal up with diet and rest....that's when you are apt to get stronger. When I stop getting DOMS for specific bodypart...I switch things up. I do however think you can progress even in muscles you don't necessarily get DOMS in. But I like it.

 

DOMS has nothing to do with progression. It can be a sensor for progress in the initial stages (that you simply attacked a new direction with a muscle).

I went from 90 pound deadlift to 315 pound in 9 months and didn't get any DOMS except in the beginning - a clear example

[rickb]

....When I stop getting DOMS for specific bodypart...I switch things up. I do however think you can progress even in muscles you don't necessarily get DOMS in. But I like it.

 

DOMS has nothing to do with progression. It can be a sensor for progress in the initial stages (that you simply attacked a new direction with a muscle).

I went from 90 pound deadlift to 315 pound in 9 months and didn't get any DOMS except in the beginning - a clear example

 

I disagree with "has nothing to do with progression". It sure lets me know what I hit. And when DOMS is nearly gone or gone all the way...those muscles feel ready to fire again. But as I insinuated above ...I don't think it's a a must. But it mentally satisfies me.

[HIT Rob]

Mike Mentzer told me (on many occasions), if being sore was necessary, He nor Ray (his brother who was a Mr America) would ever have won a physique title, as he nor Ray ever got sore from a workout. He said DOMS was not a sure fire indicator that growth has been stimulated. He also said that the pump was not a sure fire indicator that growth has been stimulated, but he did say they both felt good, and there was something to be said for that:).