Talk to me about post-gym muscle soreness aka DOMS
Discussion
I know it sounds like I'm being abit of a pansy/girls blouse. But I'm not sure if I should lift tomorrow or not, i've still got quite abit of DOMS soreness from lifting yesterday. And I know SS routines (most routines) require lifting 3x a week. Sure it'll probably ease up quite abit when I go to sleep. I know that I will still go in and see how it goes (something is better than nothing). But how do you know where to draw the line in terms of whether you should lift or not?
There seems to be alot of conflicting information on it. There is one arguement that DOMS isn't necessarily a sign that you shouldn't do exercise. Some even say its fine to do cardio on your in between days as it encourages blood flow to those areas.. aiding recovery, hot baths assist in this too. On the other hand some say stick to ibuprofen/NSAIDs and use cold baths in order to ease swelling, restricting bloodflow, being sure to get as much rest as possible. I know that the more often you go, the lesser the soreness becomes.
Which route does one follow? Which route do YOU follow, and can you offer any additional isight.
Thank you.
There seems to be alot of conflicting information on it. There is one arguement that DOMS isn't necessarily a sign that you shouldn't do exercise. Some even say its fine to do cardio on your in between days as it encourages blood flow to those areas.. aiding recovery, hot baths assist in this too. On the other hand some say stick to ibuprofen/NSAIDs and use cold baths in order to ease swelling, restricting bloodflow, being sure to get as much rest as possible. I know that the more often you go, the lesser the soreness becomes.
Which route does one follow? Which route do YOU follow, and can you offer any additional isight.
Thank you.
...............
Personally I always wait until any soreness has dissipated completely before performing the same exercise, whether it be DOMS, a mild pull, fatigued etc.
That way I know I'm reducing the risk of injury by being back to fully coordinated again! Also, surely it's logical to allow the muscles to go through their damage / repair / build cycle?
That way I know I'm reducing the risk of injury by being back to fully coordinated again! Also, surely it's logical to allow the muscles to go through their damage / repair / build cycle?
Digger said:
Personally I always wait until any soreness has dissipated completely before performing the same exercise...
Yes,
if a muscle is sore you shouldn't train it. Not because you'll do any further damage (you might though), but simply because you'll never get 100% out of the muscle if there are still microtears present in the fibres. A smart person would organise their workout around another bodypart so this scenario didn't occur. Also although getting DOMS is hard to avoid, having DOMS is not a badge of pride - there is no proven link between post-workout DOMS and increased gains in strength or size.
Hasn't DOMS been attributed to z-disc damage not myosin damage? While it would mean there is not necessarily strength or size gains, there is repair work required in the muscle which should tell you you to leave it alone. It's mostly likely that if your muscles have been challenged hard enough to cause z-disc damage, myosin damage has probably also been achieved given that this would happen first, so it would be a good personal indicator that a muscle has been hit properly hard. Forced reps, negative reps, total failure and a long time off exercise being the most direct causes.
Can't remember where I read that about DOMS and z-disc but I'm sure google would turn up some nice scholarly articles.
Can't remember where I read that about DOMS and z-disc but I'm sure google would turn up some nice scholarly articles.
All very interesting comflicting opinions.
I wussed out yesterday and didn't go. Did go today though. Squats did feel abit sore at the very bottom of my squat, however after doing my warm up sets it had completely gone away.
On a related note, what's the purpose of repping until failure? In my old gym when I first joined after doing my work sets my instructor had me unload the bar and do fast half reps until compelete faliure on squats & bench press.
I wussed out yesterday and didn't go. Did go today though. Squats did feel abit sore at the very bottom of my squat, however after doing my warm up sets it had completely gone away.
On a related note, what's the purpose of repping until failure? In my old gym when I first joined after doing my work sets my instructor had me unload the bar and do fast half reps until compelete faliure on squats & bench press.
ambuletz said:
On a related note, what's the purpose of repping until failure? In my old gym when I first joined after doing my work sets my instructor had me unload the bar and do fast half reps until compelete faliure on squats & bench press.
I understand the body will then attempt to "repair" or "build" the muscle larger than before in anticipation of a load. It's the basic principle behind muscle gain / body building. This happens quickly at first (beginners gains), then tails off and becomes harder as the months and years go by. Some people turn to chemical assistance at this point.Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff