It’s the morning after you started your new workout program and you wake up feeling fantastic. Until you move. All of a sudden you’re aware of EVERY muscle in your body, plus a few you didn’t know you had.
I know we’re all familiar with that seemingly inevitable muscle soreness that comes with changing your workout routine. It usually presents itself 24 to 48 hours after you exercise, deviously drawing out the suspense of what you know lies ahead. This delayed onset is typical of this type of soreness, and the pain dissipates rather quickly after another one or two days.
The worst part about delayed-onset muscle soreness (often called “DOMS”) is that you never know how much pain you’ll be in, so it is difficult to gauge how much to push yourself in your first workout. Push too hard and you’re certain to regret it that next morning, especially if you’re new to exercise. Yet muscle soreness isn’t just for new exercisers. Experienced athletes fall victim to it every time they increase the frequency or intensity of their strength training, or when they add new exercises.
Treatment
Although prevention is really the best treatment (continue reading below), there are a few things you can do at home that will help alleviate muscle soreness. I would start with the RICE principle (rest, ice, compression, and elevation). Ice, in particular, has proven to be useful for some in dulling the pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (Ibuprofen and Aleve are good examples) can also help with pain and inflammation within the muscle fibers.
Most importantly, continue to move and exercise when you’re sore. You shouldn’t perform the same routine that caused soreness, but you should spend at least 20-30 minutes doing low-impact cardio such as walking or biking. This loosens up the muscles, gets blood and nutrients flowing more freely to the muscle fibers, and can minimize the level and/or duration of muscle soreness that you will experience. When you’re ready to try strength training again, make sure you’re thoroughly warmed-up beforehand. Try running through a couple exercises without weight before you add resistance back in.
Remember that muscle soreness is common and natural, but prolonged pain is NOT. If you continue to feel pain for more than a week, consult your physician.
Prevention
Because of the unpredictability of DOMS, it’s always a good idea to be cautious when beginning a new workout routine. Prevention is the best treatment. I recommend that my clients not complete the entire program the first day (and sometimes the whole first week or two).
