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Basic Training · Part 2

Sore the day after: DOMS

Chapter 8 of 18

The day after your first proper session, sitting down on the loo may become a two-handed job. This is normal. Here's why.

The short version

  • DOMS stands for delayed onset muscle soreness: achy muscles a day or two after exercise you're not used to.
  • It usually peaks 24 to 72 hours later and fades within a few days.
  • It isn't an injury. Sharp pain, swelling or pain in a joint is different.

What it is

DOMS is the stiff, tender, achy feeling in your muscles a day or two after exercise you're not used to. It's worst after movements where a muscle lengthens while it's working, like lowering into a sit-to-stand or walking downhill.1 It usually builds over the first day, peaks somewhere between 24 and 72 hours, and fades over the next few days.1

Curve of muscle soreness after a new workout: low on day 0, peaking between day 1 and day 3, then fading by about day 5.Day 0Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Usually worst here(24 to 72 hours)Ouch
A typical pattern, not a rule. If it is still getting worse after three days, read the warning signs below.

It doesn't mean you did something wrong. It doesn't mean it was a great workout, either. It mostly means "that was new".

Why it gets better

Here's the good news. Do the same session again a week or two later and you'll usually be far less sore. Scientists call this the repeated bout effect.2 Your body adapts quickly.

Two bars: soreness after a first session is high; after the same session a week later it is much lower.SoreMuch less soreFirst timeSame again, a week later
The repeated bout effect. Your body learns fast. Illustration, not real data.

That's why the first fortnight is the worst, and why easing in pays you back.

You can't fully prevent it. You can keep it mild.

  • Start easy. Week one is easy on purpose.
  • Add a little at a time, not a lot all at once.
  • Keep moving. A gentle walk the next day often helps it feel better for a while.1
  • Sleep, eat, drink. Boring. Works.

Most remedies, from massage to fancy creams to supplements, have small or patchy effects at best.1 Time does most of the work.

When it's not DOMS

  • Sharp or stabbing pain, during or after exercise.
  • Pain in a joint rather than in the muscle.
  • Swelling or bruising.
  • Pain that's still getting worse after three days, or hasn't eased after a week.

If any of these apply, rest and see your GP or a physiotherapist. If you're worried, call NHS 111. If you get chest pain, call 999.

Your rep for this chapter

After your next session, write down which muscles ache and when. Next time, notice how much less they ache.

All 18 chapters of Basic Training

Sources

1. Cheung K, Hume P, Maxwell L. Delayed onset muscle soreness: treatment strategies and performance factors. Sports Medicine. 2003;33(2):145-164.

2. McHugh MP. Recent advances in the understanding of the repeated bout effect: the protective effect against muscle damage from a single bout of eccentric exercise. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. 2003;13(2):88-97.