Ok it’s time to be real: the Elliptical, treadmill, recumbent bike, is just a glorified hamster wheel. I know I’m repeating myself again and again on my posts but I want to make one thing clear: It is important to try new exercises, and generally make your physical-fitness undertakings as varied and interesting as possible. After all, the last thing you want is to get so bored with your routine that you give up working out altogether, grab the Ben & Jerry’s with a vengeance, and grow out of your skinny jeans. But variety is the spice of life, and that’s true for more than just ice-cream flavors. So on Monday I mixed up my workout a little and yesterday by backside was sore. It seemed to get worse as the day went on. Why is that? I think Deylayed Onset Muscle Soreness is something most people don’t know about so I want to dedicate this post to discussing DOMS.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Called DOMS for short, this is the soreness you're probably most familiar with. It's what you feel when you get out of bed the next morning after a challenging workout. This type of muscle soreness begins 24 to 48 hours after your workout and actually indicates a natural adaptive process that the body uses after an intense exercise session. When you do a new or particularly challenging workout, your muscle fibers tear on a microscopic level. It takes time for your body to repair that muscle, which is why you may feel this type of lingering soreness for up to 72 hours after the challenging workout. Sometimes, you may even feel more sore on the second or third day after your tough workout than you did on the first. The good news? Once you get through this bout of soreness, that same activity shouldn't make you that sore (or sore at all) because your muscles will have gotten stronger and will be better able to handle that particular challenge.
I can barely sit down. I don’t want to move.
Don't be a couch potato! Sure, your body needs rest, but performing active recovery, such as walking or yoga, is better than just sitting on your duff. Active recovery is beneficial after a hard workout—just a little bit of physical activity will help increase circulation which, in turn, helps speed muscle recovery. Just be sure to keep it low-impact, low-intensity and pretty short—no longer than 30 minutes are needed to get the results.
