DOMS
– Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Inspired by my current state, I felt the
need to shed some light on this ‘serious’ problem engulfing gyms everywhere.
DOMS (which stands for Delayed Onset Muscle
Soreness) is a condition triggered by commencing a new gym program or a change in
your existing program. It is the pain you feel in your muscles 24-72 hours
after you start exercising and is also known as a ‘serious injury’ to some
people.
As I am currently in a state of severe DOMS
and it hasn’t even hit the 24-hour mark since my training, I felt inspired to
talk about my condition publicly.
Having just come out of a 6-month competition
period where my training was very specifically designed to strengthen the big
three lifts (squat, bench press and deadlift), my coach has now moved me into a
conditioning phase. We are calling this phase ‘get hot for 40.’ Well, I am
anyway. I’m pretty sure he is calling it ‘let’s see where CC’s threshold is and
then push her past it.’
Anyway, it’s brutal and every part of my
body hurts. Even my fingers!
This is completely normal. When you are living
through this hell it is really hard to remind yourself that it is part of the
process, let alone breathe, walk or eat. So having just stepped out of a
scolding hot, magnesium bath, I thought it apt to spend some time addressing
the real issues. DOMS – what is it, what will the next 1-4 days look like and
what can you do to survive this torture?
What
is DOMS?
The jury is out on what technically causes
this pain in your muscles. There are some studies to indicate it is micro trauma
of the muscle, or miniature tears. Being a current sufferer of DOMS, I can say
with absolute certainty that there definitely is micro trauma in my legs right
now. In fact, I have been quoted saying repeatedly this week, “nope – can’t do
that – I have micro trauma!” (I have been VERY dramatic this week according to
Tyler).
According to Cody Loopstra, Physiotherapist
from All Sports Physio, The Gap, there is a physiological explanation for this
pain.
"The process of tearing muscles while
working out starts a cascade of chemical events within the small muscle
fascicles that are micro-damaged from being progressively overloaded. As with
any injuries, small amounts of inflammation occur – in this case Creatine Kinase
(CK) – as well as the by product of lactic acid from energy output.
“The reason we get soooo sore after heavier
sessions is due to larger amounts of CK being release. Warming down, or
repeated exercise bouts (lower dosage) as well as massage, are effective ways
of flushing out these chemicals to alleviate the pain. This does decrease over
time as your body acclimatises to the load that is placed on it."
Cody
Loopstra
BPhysio
; BExSpSci (Maj. Clin Ex Phys) Men's Health Physiotherapist Exercise
Physiologist
DOMS will generally kick in
24-48 hours after your training session and can last for 4-5 days. It can hurt,
like REALLY hurt. It can often be mistaken for an injury that needs rest. This
couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve even had clients take time off work because
of DOMS.
But the body needs to move.
From personal experience with post exercise pain, remaining sedentary and
resting will not help flush out this pain. I have found movement, gentle
stretching and lots of water will provide relief.
Expect the following activities to be almost impossible:
Going to the toilet – you will need handrails
either side of your toilet to help ease you onto the toilet seat. If you stay
there for too long, I suggest a commando roll off the toilet is the best form
of exit.

Putting a bra on or off – Quite
simply, don’t! Let your sistas hang free.
Stairs – this is a task that
can’t be avoided, especially if you live in a house like mine with three
flights of stairs. This week, I discovered you can in fact go up the stairs
backwards. This requires less use of the quadriceps, which tends to really get
hammered with DOMS after a solid squat session.
Survival:
First of all…I have been
regularly reminded this week – you will not die from DOMS. I suggest hot baths
with lots of magnesium or Epsom salts. This won’t make it go away, but it will
certainly ease out some of the stiffness.
Take magnesium regularly – this helps
with muscle pain and cramps, and can certainly speed up the time spent in this
hell
Foam roller and gentle stretching – if you can
bring yourself to sit on a roller, this will definitely help with the
stiffness. Most importantly, BREATHE when you are doing this!
Move – keep moving. Stick to
your program, walk, move the body, and keep the blood pumping. This will stop
you from stiffening up and prolonging the pain.
Finally, acknowledge that
this is part of the process and that it will pass. The pain of DOMS definitely
eases after the first 2-3 weeks of a new program and ironically you will come
to miss that feeling. Even though, right now, I never want to feel like this
again, I know I’ll be asking my coach in two weeks to ‘step it up!’
fab
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