The Return of DOMS if you have done any intense exercises, or have taking some time off working out and then maybe overtrained, or ran that marathon you have had DOMS and oh man, after the Spartan Beast i have them with a vengeance. My leg muscles are screaming. Yikes. DOMS? Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. AKA the tightness that shows up 24-48 hours post workout. DOMS signifies small tears in the muscle fibers and the inflammatory response as your body tries to heal. It stems from the eccentric motion in activities (the lengthening of the muscle). It usually follows: a challenging workout a new training method or type of workout (like trying Cross Fit for the first time) a new exercises or plan layout (moving from a push/pull split to full body or trying a new plan with new moves) an increase in workout intensity or volume (moving to 4 sets instead of your typical 3 or increasing time) You don’t need to (and shouldn’t!) expect it following every workout, though. Your body adapts as it is still strengthening, so please don’t feel the need for soreness to classify a workout as “good enough”. However, when you do face such muscle soreness, it is very important to take good care of your muscles. Tight muscles can throw your entire kinetic chain off if not cared for properly. Try to focus on the following 6 things. 1. Drink LOTS of water. Staying well hydrated helps the body function better in its healing processes. 2. Get LOTS of sleep. The body repairs itself best when at rest. Giving your body a good night’s sleep allows more healing time to repair those muscle fiber tears. 3. Stay active. MILDLY active. try to get in some light activity. This helps bring blood flow to the sore areas and warms my body up for the next part of my plan. Don’t expect to complete any challenging or longer duration workouts when facing a lot of muscle soreness and fatigue, though. That’s just asking for injury in my opinion. Mild soreness is one thing. If you’re having trouble walking or lifting your arms above your head? Take it easy, please. 4. STRETCH. It’s very important to help your muscles return to their proper length tension relationship and stretching helps accomplish that. More research suggests that you don’t want to complete static stretching on “cold” muscles. That’s why a light activity (even a 10-15 minute light walk) to get some blood flow to the areas and then take a solid 15-30 minutes to stretch or perform some gentle yoga. Also foam rolling tight areas and holding at the sore spots for 20-30 seconds works wonders. 5. Ice. The cold helps reduce inflammation. 6. Fuel up well…especially post workout. Your body needs fuel in order to have the energy to repair damaged tissue. So, aim to consume that post-workout snack . Choose quality foods through the day to nourish your body. You can also seek out foods that have an anti-inflammatory response, such as tart cherry juice, or foods that aid in muscle recover like branch chain amino acids. Get FIT@ Fitness Intensity Training
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:25:07 +0000
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