Got DOMS?
You're addicted to DOMS and you didn't even know it! What's DOMS? DOMS is delayed onset muscle soreness! That is that wonderful feeling that you have the day after a killer workout when you are too sore to sit down or too sore to reach up in the cabinet to reach that bowl. So that’s great you know you are sore and you had a good workout. But how does this work?
Previous theories have looked at the build up of lactic acid in the muscle as a cause for delayed onset muscle soreness. However, newer studies have refuted these beliefs with many proven facts. This is best explained by a timeline. You workout, say at 8 o’clock Monday morning. Delayed onset muscle soreness sets in at its peak 24 – 72 hours post workout. Lactic acid, however, is cleared from the muscle within at least an hour after the workout. So, lactic acid at most could be the cause of only acute muscle soreness, that being the soreness when you are limping to your car after the workout; however, it appears physiologically impossible for lactic acid to be responsible
for the delayed onset muscle soreness experienced the day or two days after the workout itself. So if its not lactic acid what is it?
The mechanism of action behind delayed onset muscle soreness seems to be that of the actual work that you have done in the gym. Eccentric contractions, that is, the negative parts of any exercise or movement when the muscle is lengthening, cause muscle damage. The average Joe in the gym is going to focus on the concentric contraction, when the muscle shortens; however, contrary to popular belief, the damage that is done to the muscle that is needed for hypertrophy actually occurs during the eccentric contraction, not the concentric contraction. It is during this eccentric contraction that the muscle damage occurs. I contemplate on using the word damage because it has somewhat of a negative connotation, however, when used in this instance it is a good thing. Muscle damage is required for growth and development of larger muscles. If you do not induce enough stimulus to the muscle, not as much or no damage will occur at all resulting in little to no growth of the muscle. By adapting to the damage done during the eccentric contraction acute inflammation occurs at the site of the damage. It is the cascade of events directly after that of the eccentric contraction and muscle damage in which delayed onset muscle soreness begins.
The cascade of events that leads up to and ultimately results in delayed onset muscle is much slower than that of the ridding of lactic acid in the muscle. Hints the setting in of DOMS 24 – 48 hours post workout as opposed to getting the feeling as soon as you leave the gym. This could be problematic in the sense that if your muscles actually repaired too rapidly, the pain from delayed onset muscle soreness could actually prevent you from actually to continue to workout and stimulate the muscle. That being said, thank goodness the process is slower than the clearing of lactic acid. So, the cascade of events begins with the damage done to the muscle due to strenuous muscular exercise, leading to the inflammatory response, which in turn results in the edema and the pain associated with delayed onset muscle soreness. It is important to note that intense muscular exercise causes delayed onset muscle soreness; therefore, DOMS is not limited to anaerobic exercise only. We see this evident in marathon runners being extremely sore after the 26.2 mile run as well as the ability of weightlifters to be sore after a training bout.
Most of us bodybuilders love that post workout soreness the day after a good workout because we know we have had a fantastic workout the day before. So now you all know how this actually works!
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