Muscle soreness/ DOMS... How I hate thee.

Everyone who has ever started a new weight lifting program knows what I'm talking about. You go to the gym and work out, get a little sore towards the end but don't think anything of it. Then WHAM! The next day your legs are so shredded you can hardly walk. If you dropped your cell phone you would probably just keep walking because you can't even bend down to pick it up. I know that the term for this type of muscle soreness is DOMS or (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). I also know that it's a natural sign that you're working out hard enough to adequately stress your muscles.  Is there anything that can be done to shorten the duration or severity of DOMS?

I need the answer to that, too, because right now my legs are so shredded I I'm staggering the first few steps before it loosens up a little.  Stairs are cruel and unusual punishment. 

I'm doing the only thing I know to do--eat lots of protein to rebuild those poor muscles.  But if there's ANYTHING else, I'd love to know.

I think that stretching helps...I've also heard about tennis balls.

Just went through this as I started a new program last week.  The only thing that helps me is lots of water, ibuprofen and some extra vitamin E.  Also, a days rest.  I was still sore the second day but not to the point I couldn't push through it.

yah there are things you can do. pretty much there is lactic acid built up in your legs from working out...so id say do a little jogging afterwards to release the lactic acid.  Also, eating something that can help replenish yourself after you workout (within an hour or so) is pretty important.

yes! Make sure you are getting enough protein post workout....whey protein shakes help that! Or I usually workout right after work...and eat a chicken dinner about an hour later!

Also, lots of water and it's good to have ibuprofen built up in your system. Take 2 of the normal dosage a while before, 2 awhile after, and then repeat the next day. Will help alot, even if you have a good tolerance to it....

I don't know if it works for weight lifting but it works like a million bucks for long distance running...

ICE BATHS!!!  Yes I know it sounds insane but seriously it is amazing.  You fill the tub with really cold water and ice (or just really cold water) and you sit in it for about 10-15 minutes.

After my half marathon training I am now a total convert...  The next day my legs feel fine and it helps with keep some of my chronic "pains" at bay too!

Lactic acid has nothing to do with DOMS - your body produces lactate, there is no H+ present to give an acidic effect.

 Lactate gets processed in your liver and converted to glucose for later use, so it's not like the anaerobic lactate-producing workouts are particularly energy-wasteful either.

 The cause of DOMS is not really settled science, but there's indications that it's mostly about the muscle damage that occurs during the concentric or lowering part of the lift, but it's also a function of training a movement pattern you haven't used in a while.

 Anyway - don't use the ibuprofen if you can at all help it- NSAIDs interfere with the muscle adaptation process and lower the training response from your workouts, so using them robs you of progress you could have made and means that your body doesn't adapt as much as it would normally have done. Which means that next time, you're going to get more DOMS than you would have if you'd stayed off the drugs.

 Ice, you can do, or heat therapy, and walking - stretching doesn't help, but it doesn't make it worse either.

I agree, you should not have to take pain pills after a workout. If you take anything I would suggest a low dose aspirin. Bufferin. Which is good for the heart anyway. If you are consistent with your workout you should experience less soreness after. Stretch before and after. Drink a lot of water throughout the day and get carbs and protein after lifting. Massage is very beneficial and good for you in many ways. I do it about every 3 weeks and would do it more often if I could afford it. Also be sure you are not lifting 2 consecutive days or at least not working the same muscle groups 2 days in a row.

The best advice I can give to avoid muscle soreness is NOT to overdue it in the gym to start with.  Obviously, if you hurt that much as you say the day after..you're overdoing it.  Try to keep the weight down and the reps high. i.e. 12-15 reps.  If you can't do 12-15 reps of the weight..it's too high.  If your goal is to build strength/power or muscle size..slowly increase the weight and reduce the reps until you're doing 3x8s (3 sets of 8 reps).  If you're just starting a weight training program or getting back on one, take about a month or so until you get down to 8 reps..otherwise, you're going to have to live with the soreness.  Good Luck Rob 

There is only one way to not get DOMS.  Exercise more.  The more often you do your weight-training the less severe your DOMS will be.  I suggest doing your weight lifting routines every other day or every 3rd day and try not to skip more than 2 days. It's basically only debilitatingly sore if you've done NOTHING for a while and then gone ALL OUT with stressing your muscles to their breaking point.  If you have stressed your muscles to the point where you've squished a nerve it will hurt right away and that isn't good, I sometimes do that to myself in areas where i'm weakest like my shoulder or inner thigh or my pecs. 

:) Hope that helps. 

Oh I feel your pain LOL -- actually I love "feeling the burn" the 24 and usually 48 hours after a good lifting workout.

My coworkers laugh at my hobbling all the time.  I do find the best thing is ice packs to the worst pains.  Always take a rest day from weights and only lift every other day and also when I work out even if still suffering from the DOMS it makes it feel better.  

As far as the advice to lift light and multiple reps all that will do is build stamina and nothing for muscle. 

Usually when I first start a new workout I'll get the DOMS, but after the first 2 workouts its diminished enough I can continue to progress.

I don't stretch before - only afterwards and as far as walking/ running jogging to prevent it that doesn't always work either in my experience.  I do my lifting routine then 15 - 20 minutes of interval training afterwards and if I upped my squat or deadlift weights I'll still feel it the next day or day after that.

 

Drink/eat something within a half hour to forty five minutes of finishing your workout.  This is a good time to have some (healthy) carbs, it's when the body grabs whatever nutrients it can find to repair and rebuild the body from the exercise.  This should speed up the recovery process, initially at least. 

Glucosamine helps the healing process as well.

A light workout the following day, light exercise, has proven to be beneficial to increase circulation to the affected areas and help speed up the recovery process, although a little "hair of the dog that bit you" might be the farthest thing from your mind.

Yes, the soreness is a good sign, but it doesn't always feel like it.  I disagree with avoiding muscle soreness altogether, it's a sign that you've pushed yourself to the point of the maximum gain from exercise without damaging it. 

Healthy soreness, from making the most of your workout/s,  shouldn't be confused with pain, which is an indication that you have a problem.

As for the number of repetitions you should be doing, basically, as long as the last couple are difficult, you're doing fine for a beginner.   More advanced?  Time to really define your weight training goals and start refining your workouts.