Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS)

A SORE BODY DOES NOT MEAN YOUR WORKOUT WAS GREAT!

Training to be sore or if you are sore, only then you’ll progress is WRONG.

Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is just our body’s response to new stimuli. It often happens due to sudden increase in workouts or resuming training after a long time or after any new additional exercises.

Similar to playing badminton/cricket after a long makes your body part sore (eg: only left/right hand is quite sore). But if you play everyday, you won’t understand the difference.

Your body can be sore upto 72+ hours and it feels the effects of DOMS post 8–12 hours.

Unfortunately “Stretching/Warm-Ups” or “Cryotherapy” are thought to reduce soreness, but that is NOT THE THE CASE. These may really help in getting your body ready for a good workout (due to increased blood flow/activation. etc). But no relationship with DOMS

Potentially increasing your workouts slowly can help because the body then readily adapts to the new stimulus. You still may be sore but the intensity would be far lesser.

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12617692/ (exercises should be induced slowly to let adaptation take place)

2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12617692/ (Cryotherapy, Stretching has shown no impact on reduction of DOMs. Foam Rolling, Massage MAY reduce (mixed studies)

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26957941/ (Omega — 3 (DHA and EPA) Supplementation may alleviate muscle soreness to certain degree)

4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34502387/ (Foam Rolling may help in reduction of DOMs)

5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15297119/ (develops and peaks symptoms post 12–48 h)

6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15297119/ (rather than muscle damage, DOMS is a regenerative process)

7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6392811/ (Potential causes of DOMS)

8. https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200333020-00005?sponsor=3398153&error=cookies_not_supported&code=f5485e38-4149-4645-962c-d6436c856c29#citeas (DOMs common in athletes returning to training post-break or introduced to a new exercise) (same article also addresses no effect of cryotherapy and stretching in reducing DOMs)

9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2489863/ (static stretching and warm — up do not reduce DOMs)

10. https://www.strongerbyscience.com/doms/?fbclid=IwAR0i-ZssF0ShUA44XdzaaMjcJNIEPWPuM4g2BMEeieGwz418WN4mBRFzuRs (slow introduction to exercises and loads. ‘INTRO WEEKS’) (Soreness not a marker for a good workout)

11. https://journals.lww.com/cjsportsmed/abstract/1994/04000/effect_of_stretching_on_the_intensity_of.3.a?fbclid=IwAR1v-gq7tAOiY35Gzm-mBx0xB-C8f4LIn0xdKrhAL2vB3IDyELINYVmpZbE (Stretching had no effect on DOMs)

12. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00747/full?fbclid=IwAR2g9ab-m6_015Jn7BLnTL5JBxxUT7Jwknv3TyinnRlfkCS7PrMMvN2gcZ8 (Meta — Analysis on massage reducing DOMs)

13. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004577.pub3/abstract (stretching has no effect on DOMs)

14. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.01108.2018 (caffeine effect on improved DOMS)

15. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-018-0997-y?s=09 (Caffeine Showed No effect)

16. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001608 (Showed better effect)

17. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA440635676&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=19950756&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7E46422793 (Bettered the effect of Caffeine)

18. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohammad-Nasiri-6/publication/268005163_The_effects_of_caffeine_on_perceived_pain_of_muscles/links/58abf83f92851cf0e3ccbd49/The-effects-of-caffeine-on-perceived-pain-of-muscles.pdf (Caffeine effective for DOMs)