Explaining the Effects of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).

We’ve all had those days after an intense workout where all you want to do is curl up into a little ball and never move. Your muscles feel tight, stiff and make getting out of bed feel just plain terrible. So what causes our body to become sore after a workout?

Soreness results when you workout or do physical activity that is greater than normal. It is known that you body’s eccentric muscle contractions, cause more soreness in the days following the workout than either isometric contractions or concentric contractions. Okay, that was a quite the mouthful! So, what do those things even mean? Let’s take a step back for a moment and break it down.

• Eccentric Muscles: The muscles that lengthen when you are lowering a weight for example.
• Isometric Muscles: The muscles that does not change length. For example, like when you are holding a weight.
• Concentric Muscles: The muscles that shorten like when lifting a weight for example.

You’re probably asking “why do your eccentric muscles cause the most pain?” I’ll be getting to this in a moment, first, let me explain more about what you are experiencing. The soreness you are feeling in the days after your intense workout can be referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness or “DOMS.” Your muscle mass is always being broken down, and is also always being synthesized at some point. When you work out, the stress that you are putting on the muscles activates chemicals that causes your body to build up your muscle tissue. If you feel soreness or the “tearing” as some refer it as, you are noticing one of the signs of this chemical process. There are many other things that affect the way your body responds to physical activity. Some of these include metabolic, hormonal, and dietary changes that function in various ways.

If you’re currently looking for ways to massage your muscles or relax them after an intense workout, I’d suggest checking out the Trigger Point Total Package. With the Trigger Point Kit’s patented design mirroring the feeling of a human hand, you are able to massage almost any part of the body safely and effectively on your own. If you’d like to learn more about this product, click the image on the left or visit the Fitness Town website.

“No Pain, No Gain” Misconceptions.

One of the biggest misconceptions is the saying “no pain, no gain.” Some believe you need to workout until your muscles feel sore or exhausted. I definitely disagree with this belief, I believe you do not need over-do it for them to grow. While working your muscles until they’re achy means you technically did tax your muscles, which helps them get stronger, it’s actually not beneficial in the long run. So why do eccentric muscles hurt more than others? DOMS tends to begin 24 to 48 hours after exercising and you can feel the discomfort peak between 48 to 72 hours. Studies have shown that eccentric muscle activity, which is actively resisting lengthening of the muscle (like raising or lowering a weight), gives the most discomfort. When overworked, DOMS could be due to high tension on muscle fibers and connective tissues which is less common in isometric, concentric, or static tension activity.

Consistency is Key!

At Fitness Town, we believe that keeping active on a daily basis is important. Pushing your muscles past your comfort line on one day means your muscles are going to feel extremely exhausted for days after. This means when you go to workout the following day, you’ll be more likely to skip your routine. I find more often than not that many people struggle with keeping up with their fitness routines overtime. This is why it becomes a very big issue! Why? Well, because when getting back into shape, consistency and determination is key! Personally, I believe it is about developing and learning how to maintain a different lifestyle. It is easier to do this by working out less intensely every day, than to go all out on one day and dread every second of the few following days. Ultimately, if you dread the effects of your workout, you are going to be less motivated to continue on with your fitness goals. If you’re looking for something that will speed up your recovery time and give you that extra “umph,” I suggest looking into PurePharma. Fitness Town currently carries several PurePharma products including O3, D3, M3, X3, and Combo Packs. For example, PurePharma Omega-3 has many great benefits such as injury prevention, accelerated recovery, increased oxygen delivery, super-compensation, and improvement to overall health and wellness. What I enjoy most about this product is that is is flavoured with natural lemon oil and doesn’t leave you with a fishy aftertaste. PurePharma is also certified and tested for purity and freshness and was given a 5-star rating!

Cons of Over-doing It.

Picture this, you have overdone your previous workout to the point you feel like you’re in a full-body cast. You then decide to lay on the couch while muttering all sorts of “I-hate-exercise” and swear words. Like I said previously, you can’t justify to yourself “I went hard a few days ago so I’ve done my time for the week.” Unfortunately for some, working out requires commitment. You can’t be a couch potato for the following 6 days of the week, that’s like one step forward and two steps back! You’re muscles will respond better when they’re being constantly worked which allows them to gradually get used to your workouts. By doing this method, you’ll find that is will prevent your muscles from becoming weak and sore.

How Can You Tell You’re Over-doing It?

So, how can you tell when you’re overdoing your workout? If you are into weightlifting and find yourself starting to shake, twitch, get restless, or numb during your reps, that’s a sign you might be hurtin’ tomorrow! If you do find yourself in this situation, I suggest you step farrrrrr awaaay from the weights. Instead of continuing to workout that area of your body, move on to a different area of your body. As soon as you start feeling noticeably exhausted, I would suggest you end your workout session. This way you ensure that DOMS does not get the best of you and instead, you can workout comfortably the following day or so. Remember, the key to successfully reaching your fitness goals is to…

ALWAYS KEEP MOVING!