What is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Have you ever experienced significant muscle pain or stiffness after a workout and wondered why?

Known as delayed onset muscle stiffness, or DOMS, this feeling is completely normal. It usually sets in 24 to 72 hours after an exercise session and is most common when you are embarking on a new exercise regime, or if you introduce new types of activity to your workouts. Even if you exercise regularly, you may experience DOMS if your workout is more intense than usual, or if it involves different muscles.

As you keep working out and using those muscles your body will adapt, and you may no longer experience DOMS. This is also completely normal, and it doesn’t mean that you’re not working out hard enough, or that you are not achieving anything in your exercise sessions. It simply means your muscles are getting stronger.

Interestingly, there is still much debate about what causes delayed onset muscle soreness. It was once thought that DOMS was caused by a build-up of lactic acid in your muscles, but this theory has now been debunked.

Another more current theory is that high-intensity exercise can cause tiny, microscopic tears in the fibres of your muscles. In response to this damage your body increases inflammation, which then leads to the delayed soreness in your muscles.

Exercises which cause your muscles to contract as they lengthen, such as running downhill or descending stairs, doing deep squats, lowering weights, or lowering yourself during push-ups, are more likely to cause DOMS than others.

If you do experience DOMS, the best way to alleviate the pain is with gentle, low-intensity exercise to keep your muscles moving. Other treatments such as cryotherapy, massage, stretching, and ultrasound therapy have not been proven to specifically alleviate delayed onset muscle soreness, although you may like to try these as part of your overall training programme.

Delayed onset muscle soreness will usually disappear after a few days, but while you are still in pain it is recommended to avoid any high-intensity exercise and reduce the duration of your workouts.

BeFit Hire has been operating for more than 50 years and we pride ourselves on offering the highest standard of service to every customer.

Every piece of BeFit Hire equipment is tested, cleaned, and disinfected prior to delivery and contactless delivery is available. Our range of home fitness equipment including treadmills, cross-trainers, rowing machines, and exercise bikes.

We also offer free delivery to most of metro Adelaide and Melbourne for most hire periods, so get in touch today.

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