DOMS Newbie

MerrionPippin · 24-05-2017 12:00pm #1

Hi,

After years of poor diet, no exercise and finally seeing myself top 17 stone on the weight scales a couple of weeks ago (2 stone added in the space of a year) I decided enough was enough and hired a personal trainer. I know I could have done my research and exercised myself, but motivation while physically at the gym is a big issue for me so it helps to have someone there pushing me and teaching me technique.

Last Wednesday was my first session, and we started with upper body. Now the weights I was doing would probably make most of you guys here laugh, but considering I've never done weights before it was a big struggle for me but I got through it. But I was in agony on Thursday and Friday, and less so Saturday and Sunday. I slept in my hoodie on Friday night because I physically couldn't take it off (pathetic, I know).

I did a leg session Monday, and again was in a lot of pain yesterday. I know DOMS is completely normally, especially for someone like me going straight from zero exercise to intense workouts and maybe I should have given myself a couple of weeks just to improve my fitness/endurance and coax my "muscles" out of their lifelong slumber.

As I said, I know as I get into my proper routine the DOMS will eventually go away as my muscles get used to regular workouts. I did another upper body session today - by far the most physically challenging thing I've ever done and I just know I'm going to be in a world of pain for the rest of the week.

Is there anything I can to minimise the pain in the meantime, or what are your home remedies for DOMS? Foam rollers have great feedback, I was thinking of picking one up but I wouldn't be able to pick it up until this evening - will it be too late to use it then given my workout was this morning? What;s your go-to tip for helping reduce it, or is it just all part of starting out?

Appreciate any advice! Thanks

DM_7 · 24-05-2017 12:17pm

Move, they get worse the less you move. Simple movements to loosen up/warm you up.

Take care that it is movement not stretching holds first, you want to be warmed up before holding any stretches. Even a simple walk will help.

IvoryTower · 24-05-2017 12:51pm

I've tried everything I could think of, hot baths, ice baths, foam roller, light jogging, stretching, compression clothing, im sure there was more! In the end it just gets less and less as the weeks go on and eventually you'll only get it very slightly and at that stage you're happy to feel something so you know you worked hard.

Movement helps ease it alright but then of course when you sit down it will be hard to get back up again. So what im saying is, acceptance is probably the best thing for it

NRR · 24-05-2017 3:21pm

Keep moving as much as you can (as suggested above), but I'd also recommend that there are a few principles of good recovery which are very easy to skip or overlook - drink plenty of water, ensure you're eating enough/proper, and try and get a good sleep.

Foam rollers can be good, but they aren't a magic fix. If you do want to go this route, getting some instruction with them can be useful.

I'd bet by your second or third week, you'll notice that it isn't quite as bad as your first week, and you'll continually get more used to it over time. I consistently am in the gym 3-4 times a week and still regularly deal with some delayed soreness (I should adhere to my own advice with a bit more stretching/moving too), but you'll learn to appreciate it! Best of luck with the new endeavor, you won't regret it.

LincolnHawk · 24-05-2017 11:15pm

Just suck it up OP. Assuming its just Doms and you're not getting hurt, enjoy that sweet soreness

mcgiggles · 24-05-2017 11:21pm

Doms are never as bad as the first few weeks of working out! I never lifted weights before and jeez after the first classes I was in bits for the week! Even now I find that if I take a couple weeks break (such as im doing right now - not voluntarily i might add) the first 2 or 3 weeks are torture and then they ease off.. they will never go away, as the stronger you get the more you will do, but you become more accepting of them! Also try to eat good protein after the gym that will help a bit aswell :-) keep up the good work!

SarahMollie · 25-05-2017 11:52am

You really just have to get through it for the next few weeks and then you'll be fine. I was a bit like you a few years ago, I'd been sedentary for way too long, and my first session really crippled me - couldnt believe the soreness. The first few were like that, could hardly walk, and absolutely couldnt manage stairs or lifting my arms higher than a few inches - I looked like the tin man.

Day 2 after exercise is always the worst - but just know that if you're stiff and sore, then your body has done some work and thats a good thing. Over time, you will still get the occasional bit of soreness if you try something new or try to step things up a gear, but if you keep at it, you won't experience anything like the first few weeks again. You're taking the pain now, don't waste it by giving up, keep going so you'll never have to feel it to this extent again!

Alf Veedersane · 25-05-2017 12:34pm

Things like hydration, nutrition and getting sufficient protein, active recovery and sleep will help minimise it.

But you may never get to a point where you don't get them anymore, especially if you do something new/haven't done in a while or increase volume of what you do.

JayRoc · 25-05-2017 4:22pm

I would expect a coach to take into consideration factors such as previous exercise history and what level of activity a client is used to, before they begin training.

Expecting to be crippled for days will not make most people rush back to the gym.

Anyone I coach who is coming from a layoff or has never trained before can expect a little tenderness for a day or two, but usually not more than that.

People are different, and some people just need to look at a weight in order to have quite noticeable DOMS afterward,
but to be honest if someone was in the amount of pain you're describing after their first couple of sessions I would question what I had done with them.

SGSM · 02-06-2017 12:27pm

DOMS is a good sign you're working hard. Keep it up.

MerrionPippin · 02-07-2017 12:54pm

Thanks everyone for the advice. Safe to say, you were right. The pain got less severe the more I exercised. Even the mornings where I could barely walk, I forced myself to do a 15 minute cross trainer workout before my PT sessions and I was good to go.

I still get them when I move up a weight, albeit not as bad as after week 1. I'm also officially down 1 stone today versus my original post. This working out craic can get addictive

thatsmighty · 18-01-2021 8:47pm

The trick is to begin lighter and gradually build it up

Black Sheep · 18-01-2021 8:57pm

Epsom bath salts in a bath as hot as you can stand. Use several fistfuls. Minimum soak 15 minutes.

A lot of things don’t work, but this genuinely does for me.

Alf Veedersane · 18-01-2021 9:28pm

I've found finding a dark corner to collapse into and crying for 72 hours alleviates them for me.

el Fenomeno · 18-01-2021 9:56pm

I didn't get any DOMS after my workout yesterday. I think I've figured out what works for me. I'll just do what I did yesterday every time.

30 mins before workout: Have pre-workout caffeine loaded drink. I recommend Bulk Powder's Complete Pre-Workout.
10 mins before workout: Get your workout area ready - move the bench out from the wall, set your adjustable dumbbells to the correct weight. Get those resistance bands ready.
5 mins before workout: Not quite time yet - the instructions on my pre-workout drink said 30 minutes. So play with the dog for a bit. He loves when you play keep-away with his squeaky pig.
0 mins / start of workout: Few more minutes playing with the dog won't hurt
5 mins into workout: Have to piss after all that pre-workout drink, go to the toilet. May as well sit down, make it a posh one. And sure may as well check out Reddit while I'm here.
10 mins into workout: Still on your phone sitting on the jacks. There's a few subreddits you haven't checked yet.
15 mins into workout: Okay, done on the toilet and finished watching that video of a guy handcrafting a leather belt using only traditional methods. Better just move the mouse on my work laptop so it doesn't show me as "Away". Oh look, there's an e-mail for me.
30 mins into workout: Okay, took care of that e-mail request. Time to start the workout. Take our your phone to open up Spotify and get your gym playlist rea....oh look a WhatsApp message from a mate.
35 mins into workout: Okay put the phone away, time to workout. Actually, that caffeine might be worn off by now. And I don't really feel like working out anymore. Sure I can do a double session tomorrow anyway, one day off won't harm anybody.

I feel fine today, so it's all about finding what works for you.

Alf Veedersane · 18-01-2021 10:31pm

Also, it tends to happen when you do a new movement for the first time in a while so it's just going to suck the first time and a lot less the next time and that's usually it for the DOMS, in my experience.

Ab rollouts: a prime example. A couple of days of discomfort and then the next time I was doing them, 6/7 days later, very little soreness after even with a slightly higher workload.

They are the worst DOMS you'll get, for the record.

GreeBo · 18-01-2021 10:36pm

thatsmighty wrote: »

The trick is to begin lighter and gradually build it up

I'm hoping that after 3 years they have faded OP?
Talk about putting the D into DOMS.

Cill94 · 20-01-2021 11:47am

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Also, it tends to happen when you do a new movement for the first time in a while so it's just going to suck the first time and a lot less the next time and that's usually it for the DOMS, in my experience.

Ab rollouts: a prime example. A couple of days of discomfort and then the next time I was doing them, 6/7 days later, very little soreness after even with a slightly higher workload.

I used to think this too but the only thing that research seems to consistently show causes it is eccentric muscle actions (metabolic stress being another potential one).

I've certainly experienced it from doing a new exercise - but when you think about it, it's only ones with a hefty eccentric component. Ab rollouts are a perfect example of this.

On the other hand, I can do something with an easy eccentric like a prowler push or a step up for the first time in ages, and not get any DOMS.

So I tend to lean toward the eccentric contraction being the issue, more so than the novelty of the exercise. Perhaps the novelty of an eccentric action will also make it more stressful to the muscle, but still it's the lengthening action I think is key.

Alf Veedersane · 20-01-2021 12:45pm

Cill94 wrote: »

I used to think this too but the only thing that research seems to consistently show causes it is eccentric muscle actions (metabolic stress being another potential one).

I've certainly experienced it from doing a new exercise - but when you think about it, it's only ones with a hefty eccentric component. Ab rollouts are a perfect example of this.

On the other hand, I can do something with an easy eccentric like a prowler push or a step up for the first time in ages, and not get any DOMS.

So I tend to lean toward the eccentric contraction being the issue, more so than the novelty of the exercise. Perhaps the novelty of an eccentric action will also make it more stressful to the muscle, but still it's the lengthening action I think is key.

The novelty of the exercise has to be a factor because if it was just the eccentric component, then you would always have DOMS after those exercises.

The body adapts to the exercise hence the reduction in DOMS so the fact there is a 'newness' to it is a factor.

But I was mostly thinking about exercises with eccentric resistance. Just in the case of step ups, I did notice a difference in soreness when I really slowed the eccentric versus just focusing on the concentric portion and 'dropping' my foot back down.

Cill94 · 20-01-2021 3:39pm

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

The novelty of the exercise has to be a factor because if it was just the eccentric component, then you would always have DOMS after those exercises.

The body adapts to the exercise hence the reduction in DOMS so the fact there is a 'newness' to it is a factor.

But I was mostly thinking about exercises with eccentric resistance. Just in the case of step ups, I did notice a difference in soreness when I really slowed the eccentric versus just focusing on the concentric portion and 'dropping' my foot back down.

You could keep getting DOMS from doing the same exercise, you would just have to really torture yourself.

My best guess would be that whether you get sore or not is a matter of how challenging the eccentric loading is, relevant to what the muscle can currently tolerate.

Changing the exercise may well just be one mechanism of pushing those boundaries and generating soreness, as a different exercise will utilise slightly different muscle fibers. Additionally, people doing a new exercise tend to overestimate what they can do and start a bit too heavy, which will also increase eccentric loading.

However you could still get sore from keeping the exercise the same but doing more weight, total reps, longer tempo, etc.

Regardless I think the only logically consistent variable that generates soreness is increasing the eccentric loading on a muscle. Changing exercise just happens to do that quite easily.

Alf Veedersane · 20-01-2021 5:51pm

Cill94 wrote: »

You could keep getting DOMS from doing the same exercise, you would just have to really torture yourself.

My best guess would be that whether you get sore or not is a matter of how challenging the eccentric loading is, relevant to what the muscle can currently tolerate.

Changing the exercise may well just be one mechanism of pushing those boundaries and generating soreness, as a different exercise will utilise slightly different muscle fibers. Additionally, people doing a new exercise tend to overestimate what they can do and start a bit too heavy, which will also increase eccentric loading.

However you could still get sore from keeping the exercise the same but doing more weight, total reps, longer tempo, etc.

Regardless I think the only logically consistent variable that generates soreness is increasing the eccentric loading on a muscle. Changing exercise just happens to do that quite easily.

I don't think anything you have said is necessarily at odds with what I've said nor do I think what I have said contradicts what you have said.

I'm just saying DOMS reduce because you adapt. If you haven't done something in a long time, it hasn't begun to adapt.

But the eccentric loading is obviously an important factor as well.

I'm not saying one is the primary factor and the other isn't. Nothing is ever that cut and dried.

DOMS Newbie

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