DOMS effect

Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness. Something everyone who trains should have experienced at some point. But what is it?

Well The DOMS effect is caused by a mix up of lactic acid, deoxygenated blood and of course your damaged muscle fibres. The main cause of these factors is eccentric contractions of the muscle during resistance training with free weights or machines, i.e lengthening the muscle in the negative side of the rep. But it can also be caused by plyometric training or even intense cardio training that you aren’t used to.

So now we know what can cause it but how to get rid of it. Well basically we need to help the muscle recover quickly and at the same time, clear the mix of lactic acid and deoxygenated blood. This requires a mixture good nutrition to help the muscle grow and recover but also we need to increase the blood flow to and from the muscle in order to pump out the bad and bring in the good nutrients and oxygen. So when you finish you workout make sure you get a good meal and do some type of cool down, preferably a mixture of light cardio vascular training and stretching to help the muscle recover.

What I recommend is either finishing your workout with 10-15 minutes of light cardio such as incline treadmill walking, steady pace cross trainer or bike or rowing machine. Then make sure you stretch the muscle group you just worked before you go home and get a good meal, such as a mix of slow digest, whole meal carbs, lean meat and veg. Or a recovery shake.

Alternatively you can leave your recover workout until the next day. This works well with legs training. I know they are stiff the next day but going for a 20-30 minute walk and simple stretching after leg day helps a lot. Not only does the walking act as a cool down of sorts but it is a simple and effective way to get increase blood flow and therefore nutrients to the legs without too much discomfort for you.

Try either of these after your next workout and see if it helps you.