Got DOMS?

Cast your mind back to a time when you did a really good workout that felt like it really hit the spot.

Did you wake up the next day, or maybe two days later, and feel like whatever you worked is yelling at you everytime you move?

Do you like that feeling??

Or do you go “oh no”?

Either way, that feeling is called delayed onset muscle soreness. Or DOMS for short.

I like it for a couple of reasons.

The first one is it lets me know I’m alive and did something good for my body.

The second reason I like it is cause it’s nice to actually have a good soreness in the body for a change – instead of that constant pain that comes from long term niggles.

So what causes that soreness?

To cast my mind back to my 8am anatomy and physiology lectures (where I may or may not have still been a bit how’s it going from $1 drinks the night before) that feeling is caused by small little micro tears in the muscle.

That happens when you’ve given them a nice challenge in a workout and isn’t a bad thing – it’s how your body starts to change.

Cause when your body adapts to that level you need to step it up and challenge it again.

Sometimes if you’ve had a really big workout that might have pushed you a little bit further than you’re used to, you might find yourself sore for the best part of a week.

Now what should you do if you’re feeling the after effects of this DOMS?

First of all, make sure you have a good stretch down after your workout before your body cools down.

The other things I always do these days is utilise a good foam roller and even massage gun on those spots you hit hard.

Going to the next level after that you’ve got massage and cryotherapy.

Once again, I find those pretty effective at getting on top of things.

Just remember it isn’t a bad thing.

You should be able to tell the difference between a good sore and a bad sore like when you’ve injured yourself.

I like to think of it as your body patting you on the back for a workout well done.

Cheers,

Daniel