DOMS and lifting: When to work and when to rest?

thedreamhazer

I saw this question pop up on my feed today and I'm having trouble locating any sources I believe to be reputable. Furthermore, the non-reputable sources can't agree. So I thought I'd spread the question around in hopes that somebody had some data.

Is it okay to lift when you have DOMS? For instance, should I squat when my quads are still sore if I've had the requisite 24-48 hours of rest?

Personally, I've always ignored the DOMS and just done it, not realizing that there was ever any question of whether or not this is okay. But I'm now encountering people who seem to think I'm doing more harm than good by lifting with sore muscles.

What're the facts on this one?

Rae6503

I just found this for you:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/bodypart-frequency-and-soreness-qa.htmlhttp://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/bodypart-frequency-and-soreness-qa.html

soreness. Simply, this doesn’t matter. Soreness appears to mainly be an issue of connective tissue damage more than anything muscularly (despite still being called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS) and there is no problem training through it. Most find that by the time they finish their warm-ups (see Warming Up for the Weight Room Part 1 and Warming Up for the Weight Room Part 2 for detailed information on this), the majority of the soreness is gone and even more find that as they get used to a higher training frequency soreness becomes much less anyhow. They also usually start growing better.

stroutman81

Yeah, as Lyle mentioned, acute soreness isn't any cause for alarm. A buddy of mine, Matt Perryman, wrote one of the most well-rounded articles on this a while back. For those who need every nitty gritty detail, check it:

http://www.myosynthesis.com/articles/doms-muscle-soreness