DOMS or shakes

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balletpolegirl
balletpolegirl Posts: 73 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
When doing exercise is there any technical differences/advantages/disadvantages between;

a) being able to finish your sets and having DOMS 2 days later;

b) failing to finish a set and having the shakes for a few hours afterwards but no DOMS in the following days?

Replies

  • phatguerilla
    phatguerilla Posts: 188 Member
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    Shaking where? I'd assume hands after a deadlift? Either way shaking would suggest using a maximal weight which stressed the CNS. The disadvantage of doing this often would be becoming fatigued 'overtraining' and quickly going backwards in your training.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    ^agree with phatguerilla.

    Shaking hands, reduced grip are signs of overtraining.

    You should aim to make all your lifts without significant form breakdown. If you fail too often, you ingrain it. You're better off greasing the groove with successful lifts, not frying your CNS and cementing nerve pathways for neuromuscular efficiency.
  • balletpolegirl
    balletpolegirl Posts: 73 Member
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    By shaking I mean, after a workout when I get home, trying to lift the big jug of milk out of the fridge, feeling weak and shaky, I don't get any soreness the next day or day after, yet I struggled to finish my last set.

    Yet other days I can finish the set easily but don't feel like I've done anything afterwards, until a few days later, when the soreness sets in.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    Struggling to finish your last set and then a temporary feeling of having the living s**t beaten out of you? Sounds like you worked hard and got it done.

    I'm pretty monged out for the rest of the day sometimes on a deadlift day and can be slightly clumsy. It'll wear off as the day goes on and I'm generally back to normal by the next day. If that feeling persisted for a few days or more, then I'd probably be heading into overtraining (or at least overreaching...) but then keeping other variables in line (rest, sleep, stress, nutrition) will help keep that in check.

    It's so individual how you recover from certain volumes/frequencies and intensities based on factors diverse as training experience, age, gender, nutrition, sleep, stress, genetics, etc, that only you can judge how things are affecting you. Make sure you get all the factors under your control in line and then go from there.

    Two methods that the Soviets used to watch for overtraining (if you're interested) were periodically checking their grip strength (dramatic drop off signifies CNS problems) or checking resting heart rate. Consistently elevated resting heart rate (assuming you have a baseline of your own to compare it to) was reckoned by the Soviets to show your CNS getting it's knickers in a twist.
  • phatguerilla
    phatguerilla Posts: 188 Member
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    By shaking I mean, after a workout when I get home, trying to lift the big jug of milk out of the fridge, feeling weak and shaky, I don't get any soreness the next day or day after, yet I struggled to finish my last set.

    Yet other days I can finish the set easily but don't feel like I've done anything afterwards, until a few days later, when the soreness sets in.

    Is it the same weight/sets/reps/lift in each case?
  • cajun_qt
    cajun_qt Posts: 53
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    DOMS is more of an indicator of a too-short cool down time, or failing to stretch sufficiently after a workout - than it is a sign of a good workout. After changing up a workout routine that you are used to, of course you will have extra soreness, but this doesnt actually indicate a job well done. Look for different indicators :)

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