As a beginnier and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

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when I feel it should I just let that part rest even if it's been 2 to 4 days? It's not painful just that nice reminder you did something there. I wasn't sure if I'd damage it if I start working out that same part (through full body exercise like swimming).

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  • SusanUW83
    SusanUW83 Posts: 152 Member
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    Sometimes it helps, and swimming is a good way to work muscles evenly. If you feel any sharp pains then problem and stop it, but for general muscle soreness it's good to work through it doing some cross training. Good to ice too if it's a part you can ice.
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    After 72 hours, you should be able to perform a workout again. Make sure you’re getting proper nutrition and sleep.
  • colingilbert13
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    Make sure you stretch it out good, I always use a foam roller and it seems to ease up and help the flexibility of the muscle. Make sure you intake lots of water as well
  • dougpconnell219
    dougpconnell219 Posts: 566 Member
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    The DOMS fairy is kicking by butt this week. :'(
  • sandrarinck
    sandrarinck Posts: 5 Member
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    If you're still sore after 2-4 days, your in the "danger zone". Take it down a notch and gradually build up.

    Maybe it would feel like a hit to the ego but if you're still sore then it's likely ketosis.

    Are you getting the right nutrition? You have to feed your muscle or they get eaten.
  • snowy0wl
    snowy0wl Posts: 179 Member
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    Thanks everyone. my intake is too low although I'm not and have not been very hungry (take it or leave it). I'll ramp it up to see if that helps. I'm on day 4 I"m okay now it's not aching or anything but I did just swim. Is Doms considered 'active' when you can barely move them? It gradually got better just took longer than expected.

    Colinggilbert13: Stretching I have to learn about as well as incorporating a warmup phase.
    I can understand now why it's so troublesome for exercise. even to fit in a core 30 minutes of real exercise youhave to wrap it in appropriate warm up and cool down. I wonder if that is what they mean when a person spends 2 hours at the gym.

    My LMM seems to be about the same (even a positive) but I doubt it's a real #.

    Sandrarinc: possibly, not sure how youtest that if it's muscle in origin. My diet is all over the place (another thing to work on)

  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    As a long term exerciser, DOMS feels great and I still get it after good workout. Nothing says good leg work out like having trouble getting off the toilet the next day.

    You just don't want to overdo it as AllenMinser says, 2-3 days and you should be able to hit it hard again.
  • snowy0wl wrote: »
    when I feel it should I just let that part rest even if it's been 2 to 4 days? It's not painful just that nice reminder you did something there. I wasn't sure if I'd damage it if I start working out that same part (through full body exercise like swimming).

    Hey there, snowy0wl!

    What I've learned and observed about me and my DOMS:

    1) I am naturally strong and some sports/exercises come pretty easily for me. So even if I've not worked out or kept active, I am just able to do more than some average "beginners" when it comes to certain activities.
    2) Because of #1 I have a tendency to overdo with duration or resistance levels, etc. even when I haven't been active for a while.
    3) When I do #2 I get DOMS. I usually feel it worse 48-72 hours after.
    4) When #3 happens - for me, I have to stop activities. I have to rest my body and stretching doesn't really help.

    What works for preventing DOMS for me:

    If I've not been exercising regularly for a time, I start with much lower duration or resistance levels and slowly build up...even if I know I could totally do more. I have had great success recently avoiding DOMS while increasing strength with weight training by starting really low and just moving up gradually to a point where I'm really starting to max out.

    If I have been exercising regularly, I modify this method and just decrease slightly from where I left off instead of moving up.

    Anyway...hope that makes sense and gives you some ideas of what might work for you. Everyone is different...trust your instincts.

    Best to you!

    ~M.C. Turtle
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    Based on personal experience:
    -DOMS may take anywhere from 2-6 days to go away
    -DOMS from isolations seem to last longer than from compounds (maybe this is just me?)
    -I'm usually good to work out again 48 hours after the workout that gave me DOMS
    -After about 2 weeks of consistent lifting, DOMS seems to disappear for the most part. I may experience it after a particularly hard workout but it's rare. So if you can tough out the first couple weeks you're in the clear.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    You'll get used to the workout and the DOMS will mostly go away.

    If you're going to rest 2-4 days every time you get DOMS, you'll keep getting them. So, learn the difference between soreness and injurious pain, and work with the former, not the latter.

    It's a common issue for newbies, and if you stay committed and consistent it will go away. I've been doing this since June or so, and I don't really get DOMS much anymore unless I add something new in. Surprisingly, my calf raises to cool down yesterday didn't cause any DOMS today.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    A good, thorough warm up usually helps alleviate DOMS for me. Not always, but usually. Also, make sure you do a cool-down if you raise your heart rate for a decent amount of time. If we do a particularly challenging workout I'll just walk around the gym while I recover my breath. Then I'll do some foam rolling and mobility, which can also help reduce DOMS.

    As others have said though, once you get used to working out regularly, it will get better.
  • snowy0wl
    snowy0wl Posts: 179 Member
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    Thanks everyone. There are multiple prechecks one has to do, nurtion, warm up, stretching cool down and even massage downs if you can get it lol all parts of the puzzle. lol