Are your muscles sore after working out? Do you have Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)?

Here’s a common question I get:

"Why do my muscles get sore the day AFTER I did my exercises? I didn't feel sore during the exercises."

When you exercise and strength train, your muscle fibres experience tiny tears. When you rest, your body repairs these tears, which helps make your muscles stronger. Sometimes as your muscles heal, there might be inflammation, which is what causes the soreness. This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). DOMS usually occurs after a new or particularly challenging exercise or movement (e.g., starting exercise for the first time after having a baby, helping someone move, lifting heavy furniture, shoveling for hours after the first snow fall).

How long does DOMS last? DOMS peaks 1-2 days after the exercise and usually resolves within 2-3 days.

Did I so something wrong? Is DOMS a bad thing? Nope. It's a sign there is healing taking place, and that your muscles did something that was challenging.

What if it takes longer to heal? Often that can mean that the effort your body took was greater than what you likely should have done. It could also mean that you're not getting adequate sleep, nutrition or hydration to support normal healing rates.

Will I experience DOMS after every workout? Nope. As your body and muscles get used to moving again, you should experience less and less muscle soreness. When you add in a new or particularly challenging movement, you may experience DOMS again.

Is the goal to get DOMS after every workout? i.e., does the workout count if I'm not sore after? We don't want you to feel sore all the time. The goal is strength training, not soreness. As your body gets used to lifting and moving, it will get more efficient at healing and recovering as well, and be less sore.

Now don’t be afraid of a bit post-exercise soreness! Just know that it should ease and not persist. Let me know if you have any questions!

Surabhi