What is muscle soreness and how to prevent and combat it?

Capt_Apollo

So many people here experience muscle soreness, and are restricted because of it. I was hoping to start a thread to show what it really is, and what can be done to prevent it, and to show that it is not always a good thing.

i know a lot of people rely on that muscle soreness to let them know if they had a good work out the day before. however, i find that delayed onset muscle soreness can prevent me from having a good NEXT work out.

i find that properly warming up, cooling down, and stretching is a great way to prevent DOMS. in fact, if i don't have DOMS, i know that i did those three properly. i warm up to the point that i'm actually sweating pretty good. usually an 8 minute run or jump rope session, followed by 8-10 minute dynamic warm up that consists of a lot of body weight movements.

cooling down is important too. i try and walk it out for about 10 minutes after my work out, and stretch for another ten minutes too. lately i've been trying the foam roller and it really helps to get the kinks out.

so any comments? thoughts?

taso42

I like to spend some quality time with the foam roller and do some active stretching / mobility before squat and deadlift workouts. Doing this has pretty much eliminated the chronic injuries I used to get.

Fish oil, which I take daily, is said to help with DOMS, but it's hard for me to gauge for sure whether it has any effect. I still get DOMS pretty regularly, but definitely not every time. Maybe not even half the time.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

I find that when my protein is on point my DOMS is greatly reduced

PikaKnight

I definitely warm up and stretch before and after. I also take Triple Omega everyday. Until Monday, I hadn't had such a bad DOMs that lasted for a few days for a couple months now. I think I may have to increase my warm ups and stretches time.

mustgetmuscles1

I used to get soreness in my upper body after every workout but now it is pretty rare. My legs almost always get DOMS still. The difference has to be something other than diet for me.

PurpleTina

When I first started exercising I used to get it a lot, these days very rarely. One thing that has changed is that I make sure I drink lots of water all the time, not just during/ after my workout. Being properly hydrated helps a lot. Oh, and another advocate for foam rolling here.

xidia

I've always been lazy about cool downs, and it doesn't affect DOMS for me. It's mostly about how hard I've pushed myself, I think.

chris1816

-Avoid static stretching before lifting or athletic activity; dynamic/light stretching to warmup only.

-Drink lots of water, and I mean lots.

-Daily Creatine Monohydrate supplementation (all day erry day, forever)

-Good amount of saturated fats in my diet.

-High Zinc/Magnesium/Vitamin b6 intake via dietary intake or supplementation.

-Sleep.

ilovedeadlifts

I like to spend some quality time with the foam roller and do some active stretching / mobility before squat and deadlift workouts. Doing this has pretty much eliminated the chronic injuries I used to get.

Fish oil, which I take daily, is said to help with DOMS, but it's hard for me to gauge for sure whether it has any effect. I still get DOMS pretty regularly, but definitely not every time. Maybe not even half the time.

agreed.

proper warmups, good food, foam rolling. all of that helps pretty well.

yoovie

What I refer to as DOMS now, I know are not actually that. I know a few times when I tried new things when I was first getting into fitness - like a day with a trainer, and the next day I would be so crippled that I thought Id developed rigor mortis. INSANE PAIN.

What I calls DOMS now is more like muscle awareness. A dull ache, and a slow time getting on and off the couch that night. Stretching the next morning and sincerely rolling my eyes happily glorifying in the tightness of my muscles, each part of each one, and stretching them out.

I was definitely one of the ones that believed that if you don't have crippling muscle soreness the next day, then you are definitely NOT working out hard enough. Same thing with breaking a sweat - if you're not drenched then you didnt get a good workout. Wrong as well. Thankfully, I talk to other people about fitness stuff all the time and Im always learning (otherwise I'd be reading all these books and papers and such and have no idea if i was comprehending it correctly).

Now there is something very specific that I want as after-effects of a workout. I want hard, tight muscles. I want them to be a little pumped up when I get home so I can ogle them in the mirror. And the next day, I want to feel a dull tight ache in them as I walk and move about my regular life. It's a physically satisfying inside joke between me and my favorite body. mine.

I use the foam roller twice a week, I count to 30 when I stretch at the end of every workout and I warm up legitimately. Yesterday my warm up lasted almost a half hour because I knew I was gonna need it for squats. My workouts just dont feel complete without a walk and a warm up at the beginning and foam rolling, stretching in the studio, getting a coffee and then walking another half mile for cool down. Anything else just feels... lopsided.

Really BAD actual DOMS, let me know when Im getting lazy - not getting a GREAT workout.

missym357

The single biggest factor that affects muscle soreness for me is newness of the routine- how adapted my body is. I had to take a couple of weeks off of lifting and when I went back I have been as sore as hell doing a similar routine with slightly lower weights. Before that break I was going heavier for weeks on end and not experiencing a lot of intense soreness.