DOMS Day

Today is a much needed day off since I woke up with an athletes ever popular syndrome - DOMS, which stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.  On Saturday I conducted a very rewarding workout consisting of running, plyometrics and resistance training, and then topped that off with 1.5 hours (or 46km) of biking Sunday.  Lets just say my legs are a little sore today...

So how do I prevent DOMS from occurring? Well, it usually occurs when one changes or adds to their training program but goes away after time as the muscle begin to adapt.  So the solution to decreasing DOMS is by continuing my training program as it will decrease gradually over time (provided that I maintain a proper diet).  

How do I tackle the soreness now? I enjoy a hot bath since it increases blood flow to the tissue promoting more nutrients to circulate and potentially fix all the micro tears which have occurred.  DOMS can last anywhere up to 72 hours after the exercise and subside completely after 5 days.  This means I can enjoy baths for the next 5 days to promote healing!  I could also do low-intensity exercise to increase blood flow as well such as walking or jogging.

What shouldn't I do?  High intensity exercise...duh!  By doing high intensity exercise while feeling symptoms of DOMS, one can increase their pain tolerance. Yes, increasing ones pain tolerance can allow an athlete to preform better and not feel DOMS, but if you increase your pain tolerance, you may become more susceptible to overtraining in my opinion.  

So if I still feel symptoms of DOMS tomorrow, I may either take another day off or do some low intensity exercise.  Kinda hoping the pain is gone though!