DOMS after strength training - how long to stop?

GrumpyHeadmistress
GrumpyHeadmistress Posts: 666 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I did my first strength training session on Friday night and was very sore on Saturday. Sunday I could barely crawl down for stairs! Today it's better but still not gone. I'm guessing I should wait for the muscles to repair before doing more but can any experienced lifters remember how long it takes to go? Thanks.

Replies

  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    it depends on the workout. If you just started it will take a few days maybe up to 4 or 5 days, You should do some active recovery, keep moving keep the blood flowing to your joints and muscles to aid in the repair. Drink lots of water and eat good nutritious food. you can also do massage or foam roll and stretching.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    it depends on the workout. If you just started it will take a few days maybe up to 4 or 5 days, You should do some active recovery, keep moving keep the blood flowing to your joints and muscles to aid in the repair. Drink lots of water and eat good nutritious food. you can also do massage or foam roll and stretching.

    Yep, all this. Not moving is the worst thing you can do.

    In my experience, going on with the next workout helps. By the time I'm half way through the warm up, my muscles are feeling good and my workout is not impeded by any lingering soreness. Once or twice in the beginning, I lightened my volume out of necessity but usually I'm good to go.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited February 2016
    I don't not do my workouts because of DOMS. As said above it usually feels fine by the end of warmup
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    I make sure to have my day of rest, hydrate, do some light stretching and some walking. Keep moving. Then I push through them. The best thing for DOMS after my squats is more squats. :)
  • WeaponXI
    WeaponXI Posts: 63 Member
    The key is to not stop moving around. Nothing you can do to eliminate it completely, but active recovery (things like taking a walk, light jog, or even some cycling anything that isn't too demanding but has you moving around) is good to do.
    Foam rolling helps a lot. Massages help a lot. Soaking in a tub with Epsom salt helps for some.
    As for waiting for your muscles to stop hurting, that depends on you, if you feel you can handle another session, go for it. Waiting till your DOMS is completely gone is not required.
    I've been lifting for about 7 years straight now, and I still get some DOMS after a good day of squats or deadlifts. While some people only experience it when they first start out.
    For me DOMS doesn't last long anymore, when I get DOMS now it usually only lasts a couple of hours the day after I do heavy squats or deadlifts. Starting out, I can remember feeling it for about a week, probably because starting out I wasn't smart, and tried to do too much too fast.
  • tillerstouch
    tillerstouch Posts: 608 Member
    You're recovery time will be much better after the first few times you lift hard. Don't skip a lift session though just because of some soreness. Keep breaking those muscles down into the ground.
  • GrumpyHeadmistress
    GrumpyHeadmistress Posts: 666 Member
    Thanks all. As I'm struggling to go down stairs at the moment, I think it might leave it another day! Although I'll keep up with the walking and massage.
  • Smallc10
    Smallc10 Posts: 610 Member
    The best thing to do for this is move, like others have mentioned. I lift every other day and in between I do biking to get the blood flowing again. Makes me feel better every time!
  • G33K_G1RL
    G33K_G1RL Posts: 283 Member
    I sometimes get really bad DOMS. Since they are worse on the 2nd day (48 hour peak) I'll arrange my training so it isn't at at the worst moment, usually by delaying it by half a day or even a day, but no more than that. Once they start getting better, back to work we go :)
  • sjohnson__1
    sjohnson__1 Posts: 405 Member
    The more you hit that particular muscle group, the less the DOMS will be (quicker recovery time). DOMS can be really intense at first, but they get less and less intense (as long as workout intensity is about equal) as you go. Keep fighting through the DOMS and as others have mentioned, maybe try hitting a different muscle group, stay active and HYDRATE!
  • Merrysix
    Merrysix Posts: 336 Member
    I try to lift so I feel "good sore" rather than "bad, this hurts like hell sore." I think this is part of the key to long term success with weightlifting for me. One thing that makes a good trainer is that they can increase the weights so that it pretty much my response stays in the "good sore" range, so I continue to improve and lift heavier w/out injury. I lift pretty much Tues, Fri, Sat and Sun every week and do other types of exercise in between that helps (like stretching Pilates, running, biking etc.). I like "good sore" cause I like feeling where my muscles are and how they are responding.

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