Thursday, January 3, 2008

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – OUCH!


Only complete wussies whine and cry "I'M SORE…MY MUSCLES HURT" after a workout RIGHT?

WRONG! Muscles get sore when you push them to limits that they aren't normally pushed to, like most athletes do. It doesn't matter what shape you are in – you can still get sore muscles. I know I do.

DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is the soreness that occurs 24 to 48 hours after an exercise session and decreases after 72 hours. The current theory is that DOMS is caused by microscopic tears to the muscle fibers that occur during eccentric exercise – which means the muscle is lengthening or elongating whole producing force.


When you are lowering the weights you are performing an eccentric muscle action.

When starting a new exercise or using muscles that you have not used in a while you will most likely get DOMS. Tread lightly when starting a new exercise and you may get out pain free. But if the soreness does hit you like a ton of bricks here are some tips to help you get back to the gym faster.

Come to think of it my chest is a little sore from that crazy CHEST CRUSHER


Funk's 9 Quick tips on how to avoid DOMS and what to do when it happens to you.

1. Don't Rush the Beat – slowly work into new or intense exercises to head off soreness.
2. Change your Pain Killer – Advil or Tylenol may not be the best choice for dealing with the pain of muscle soreness. Research suggests that these drugs block the production of prostaglandin which stimulates muscle repair and is associated with pain during recovery.

3. Heat it up – When tissue temperature is increased, blood flow increases, bringing fresh oxygen and healing nutrients to the injured site.

4. Get Rubbed – I'm not talking about the local Rub and Tug, but a massage will reduce DOMS when administered 20 minutes after termination of exercise.
5. Stretch it Out – Always make sure to take time to stretch before and after any physical activity. The more you put a muscle in a stretch position, the less likely it is to get sore.

6. Beware of the Creams – these creams may give a sensation of temporary relief and mask the pain of sore muscles, but may have no effect on the sore muscles. An effective cream that I use is the Seven Point Sports Cream

7. Sip on Soy – Research shows that soy protein may speed up muscle recovery after exercise.

8. Keep Moving – You may think that complete rest would be the remedy for soreness, but in reality, light exercise can help.

9. Don't Worry – Once you experience DOMS after doing a specific exercise, you shouldn't experience that sensation again until the intensity is increased

Funk Roberts
Don't Rush the Beat!

1 comment:

  1. Funk,

    Great post, loved the part on progression in point 1. However, I'd love to chat about point 5.

    Food for thought:

    According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons a grade one ligament strain is stretching of the ligament, a grade two is a slight tear and a grade three is a complete rupture.

    Brad

    ReplyDelete

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