A reader recently asked: “I started working out in the gym and get quite sore the day after. I’ve heard that means I’ve had a productive workout that will build more muscle—is that really true?”
She’s not the only one who has wondered this.
The soreness—along with pain and stiffness—that sometimes occurs a day or so after a workout (rather than during or right after) is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The symptoms peak some 48 to 72 hours post-workout and typically abate on their own within about a week.
But it’s a common misconception that this is a good thing. Many people think you have to damage your muscles in order to build muscle. In fact, however, muscles can grow without you having to experience soreness, and there are plenty of activities, such as long-distance running, where there is a lot of soreness but not much, if any, muscle growth.
Damn it, DOMS
DOMS occurs when you exercise in ways you’re not accustomed to, such as working out faster, on a different terrain, or with heavier weights—or if you are new to exercise and overdo it. And it typically involves what’s called eccentric exercise, which means the muscle lengthens while it’s working.
An example is when you walk, run, or hike downhill: The quad muscle on the front of the thigh is working eccentrically. Another example of eccentric activity is when you lower the weight doing biceps curls. Aside from strength training or navigating downhill, other activities that can cause DOMS include jogging (even on a flat surface), jumping, and step aerobics.
The more intensely the muscle is worked, the worse the symptoms of DOMS can be. Running downhill, for example, will lead to more soreness than walking down the same hill. Though beginner exercisers are often vulnerable to developing DOMS, bear in mind that it can occur in anyone at any fitness level who does a workout they are not used to, especially activities with an eccentric component.
The damage of DOMS
What accounts for DOMS remains somewhat elusive. There are several hypotheses, including physical damage to the muscles, inflammation and associated swelling in the muscle, and an increase in the body’s production of tissue-damaging free radicals. The most recent thought is that there is damage to the muscle’s connective tissue and not the muscle structure itself.
A small, uncorrobaorated study, for example, found that eccentric exercise of the biceps (as opposed to non-eccentric exercise, referred to as concentric) led to thickening of the connective tissue of the biceps muscle that was correlated with pain 96 hours after exercising.
Pain ≠ gain
So, if having DOMS isn’t doing anything useful, how can you reduce it? One way is to engage in the same activity that initially provoked DOMS, such as hiking downhill, but in a less intense manner. This is referred to as a repeated bout effect, though it’s not clear what is the best time interval for doing the second bout of the activity. It makes sense, though, to at least wait until your DOMS has resolved before repeating the same activity.
To prevent DOMS, you should start any new activity that involves eccentric exercise gradually and at lower intensity; that is, don’t go full-on in an activity you are not accustomed to. For example, don’t jump into a big hiking adventure with lots of downhill terrain, especially if you’ve been mostly a couch potato.
If you still experience DOMS, several remedies have been proposed but have varying degrees of evidence behind them. These include taking NSAIDS, doing gentle self-massage or using a foam roller over the sore areas, or applying heat (as in soaking in a warm bath) or cold (as in an ice pack). Despite the popular advice to stretch, there’s no solid evidence from well-controlled studies that this will aid in recovery; the same goes for other measures, such as using compression garments and electrostimulation.
BOTTOM LINE: DOMS is not something to aim for when you work out. Rather than help build muscle, it may temporarily reduce strength in the affected muscle, decrease range of motion, and, depending on how severe it is, can make even everyday activities very uncomfortable. The key is to engage in exercise that doesn’t result in DOMS but is intense enough to build muscle in the long run, if that is your goal. And bear in mind that proper nutrition, including adequate protein intake, is needed for muscle repair and growth. If you continue to experience DOMS and have the means, you could consider working with a personal trainer or physical therapist to help you find that sweet spot between workouts that are too intense and those that are too easy.
