Are all aches created equal?

hunnymonster

I'm sure transform will know the answer to this, maybe others will too.

Is the DOMS from something like a marathon (or in my case a half ironman on Sunday) the same as I get the day after doing weights. There are some differences in how it feels, For example the weights is more localised, comes on over a period not starting for 24 hours. The running one is a general dull ache and is there when I wake up next morning. Starts to get better almost instantly.

The reason I'm asking is that I never do my weights again until the DOMS has gone away. My reasoning is that the aches are the muscles doing their thing to become stronger and this involves damaging them. I don't particularly want to more on top of this. Addded to that, on the one or two occassions I have tried to work through it I found it pointless as I couldn't achieve anything.

With the running DOMS I am capable of training again straight away. However (and I'm now finally getting to the point) I'm not sure if I should or not? discuss......

yomchi

found this:

DOMS is thought to be a result of microscopic tearing of the muscle fibers. The amount of tearing (and soreness) depends on how hard and how long you exercise and what type of exercise you do. Activities that require muscles to forcefully contract while they are lengthening, (eccentric contractions), seem to cause the most soreness. You use eccentric contractions when you descend stairs, run downhill, lower a weight, or perform the downward motion of squats and push-ups. In addition to muscle tearing, swelling can occur in and around a muscle, which can also cause soreness hours later.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/doms.htm

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

hunnymonster

thanks Dave, it's a rambling kind of question I think you've just confirmed what my gut feeling was. I'm usually fine after marathons (and longer) but last weekends run was off road so there was a lot of unusual foot strikes which I think contributed.

Degsy

I usually have DOMS for up to three days after weights,especially after chest day.currently suffering in my traps,lats,erectors and
deltoids from Monday's back and shoulders session.I love the feeling TBH,pain means growth!

Odysseus

An interesting question HM, whereas I generally give myself a break of a few days after a difficult run and do something else instead, in prepearing for the mds I don't think we will have much choice in the matter, my own thinking is that I'm going to have to block a series of days where one difficult long run is followed by another and so forth. Though thank god its a while away yet.

hunnymonster

my plan for the mds is very much up in the air at the moment. It was actually a race my partner wanted to do so I'm esentially along for the ride. He has some serious injuries so is unlikely to be able to run it. I'm undecided if I'm going to hike along with him or head out on my own to compete.