Dealing With Doms

What is it? Delayed onset muscle soreness (aka, that pain you feel after exercise, usually lasting for 24-72 hours).

Just about everyone has experiences DOMS on some level. It is mainly recognised after carrying out some sort of physical activity. It is completely normal and nothing to worry about, however, some people do find DOMS uncomfortable so here are a few easy tips that you can do to try and alleviate the discomfort.

Get Your Sleep

Sleep is essential especially for muscle repair. Sleep improves muscle recovery via the production of protein synthesis and Human growth hormone. It is recommended that you get at least 7-9 hours sleep per night. Any less can delay the recovery of DOMS and inhibit muscle healing.

Ice

Some people swear by ice (you may even have heard of ice baths!). Admittedly, this one is up for debate, the thought process behind it is that ice can help reduce inflammation and swelling in the muscle which in turn reduce the pain. Try it for yourself and let us know how you get on.

3 – Eat – Protein and carbohydrates play a vital role in promoting recovery and regaining strength after exercise. Protein is also essential in repairing damaged cells within your muscles and the evidence suggests that consuming protein after exercise can enhance recovery, growth and maintenance of lean body mass by increasing muscle protein synthesis. Therefore, it’s a good idea to consume foods high in protein throughout the day to ensure optimal recovery.

4 – Stay hydrated – Dehydration can slow down the recovery process and even make your symptoms worse. Drinking water can be extremely beneficial in speeding up the recovery time and keep your muscles in working order by introducing essential electrolytes. By not keeping hydrated, you can slow down protein synthesis rates and delay prolonging your DOMS.

5 – Rest – And by rest, we mean don’t work the sore muscles hard again the next day. Stay moving, go walks, keep blood flow flowing. But allow the muscle to recover.

6 – Try stretching – Gentle stretching and massage to the DOM site might help in reducing tightness, improve blood flow and reduce the pain and duration of DOMS. Foam rolling by applying pressure to specific points in the body is often used as a self-massage tool to try and loosen up the muscles and help them relax. It is also thought that foam rolling can improve blood flow to your muscles and improve short- term mobility.

7 – Time – It will go, trust me. DOMS are just a way of life, they aren’t permanent, and they will not last forever. Dealing with DOMS is just a waiting game really, they will eventually go. Try and stay as physically active as much as you can to try and stay on top of DOMS, the more active you are, the less muscle soreness you’ll experience in the future.