Why Am I Sore After I Workout?

I'm sure many of you have experienced that excrutiating pain that comes after an intense workout. The soreness sets in the muscles 24-48 hours after training and can last as long as a week. This is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The cause of DOMS is still unknown; however, inflammation is caused by abnormal accumulation of ions, extracelluar proteins, and myofibril fluid, which may be linked to the sensation of soreness (Pyne, 1994).
The burn you feel during the exercise is caused by the build up of lactic acid, a by product of exercise matablolism. It has been thought in the past that lactic acid build up was the primary cause of that next day muscle soreness but most exercise physiologist thinks the primary cause of DOMS is the tiny tears that occur in the muscle as a result of high intensity/resistance training (Venuto).

When you work out you are literally tearing down muscle tissue. During rest and recovery time, the muscle rebuilds itself and the process of creating new muscle begins. Now to clear things up the pain of DOMS is different from the burn you feel during the work out and its different from a pain from an injury. It is important that you can tell the difference between the two. If the pain is so bad that it prevents you from walking up stairs, getting out of bed or participating in your sports the next day it is a sign that you had a good workout.

Beginners or people who have not worked out in a long time will experience DOMS because training for the first time is a "shock" to the body. The good news is the more you work out the more your body adapts to the training stimulus and the less soreness you will feel. But one thing you must remember is you must repeat the same workout over an over again. The down fall to this is when your body adapts to the workout you will stop making progress. This is why you will hear good trainers tell you to do something for 4-6 weeks and then switch it up for the next 2-3 weeks with something different. You must continue to shock the body for continuous muscle growth.

Things you can do help alleviate DOMS:

1. Very Good Stretch/Cool down after workout
2. Light jog or Cardio after your workout
3. Massage
4. Decrease your intensity in your next work out.

Good Training!