What Causes Muscle Soreness After a Workout?

We all have heard the saying “no pain, no gain”!  Anyone who has  started  out a new or more intense training program can attest that the days following the  workout can certainly be painful. This is called muscles soreness, also known as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). For those of you who have ever wondered, ‘why do my legs hurt when I exercise?’; it’s most likely your Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is creeping in on you.

Strength training exercises have two phases: the concentric, and the eccentric. The concentric phase occurs when you contract your muscles, whereas the eccentric phase is characterized by the lengthening of your muscles, when you return the weight back to its resting position. The eccentric phase of your workout plays a significant role in muscle soreness.  This phase is where your muscles are working the hardest and this process creates small microscopic tears in your muscle fibers.

Yes, this sounds daunting! However, there is light at the end of the tunnel when it coms toall this talk about muscle pain after workout. Following the muscle tears that occurs after a high intensity or unaccustomed exercise, your muscles begin the process of repairing themselves. The new muscle cells are more resistant than the ones that were there previously. As a result, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is responsible for making your muscles bigger and stronger than before.

How Long is Muscle Soreness Supposed to Last?

Muscle soreness experienced after a workout usually starts within 24 hours of the activity performed. The pain you experience can last for as long as three days to a week, depending on the degree of muscle damage and how accustomed you might be to the exercise performed. Someone experiencing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness for the first time versus someone who has been working out regularly will react very differently. 

How to Ease the Dreaded DOMS

Whether you're an occasional runner, a cyclist or a CrossFit addict, you should consider recovery an essential part of your routine.  There is no proven formula to prevent Delayed Onset Muscle soreness from occurring. Fortunately there are a few tried and tested treatments to help alleviate the pain and speed up the recovery process.

Here’s a list on how to reduce soreness after workout: 

Foam Rolling

During the muscle repair process, your muscles and fascia, the connective tissue that runs throughout the body, becomes knotted, adding to the discomfort of your Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Foam rolling helps remove those knots and prevent muscle imbalances from forming. Foam rolling after your workout will also help to increase the blood flow to your tissues, speeding up your recovery time.

Take a Rest Day

During a bout of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, your exercise potential will not be at its peak. While sore, don't expect to set any personal records;  give your body time to recover and rebuild itself. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness usually affects only the body parts that were worked; so, you can  workout the other muscle groups while letting the fatigued ones recover.

Active Recovery

Active recovery means low-intensity and low-impact exercise that stimulates blood flow and tissue repair without further stressing the body. A low-intensity cardiovascular activity such as a swim or even a gentle yoga practice to stretch out your tired muscles are good examples of Active Recovery.

SPRYNG Active Compression Solution

SPRYNG™ Active Compression is a device that that uses pneumatic compression to aid blood circulation and is bound to help with Delayed Onset Muscle soreness. SPRYNG can also help aid faster recovery after strenuous exercise by promoting a heightened rate of lactic acid flush out, so you can feel brand new and energized for your next work out.