Collegiate Times

Sophomores Zach Hogge and Shane Forsythe work out in McComas.

Returning to the gym after a recent hiatus or adding a new exercise to a workout routine will likely leave you with some residual muscle soreness over the next day or two, making it difficult to resume old fitness habits or to start a new training regimen.

Although different from the pain associated with injuries, this soreness can still be very uncomfortable and produce inflammation in muscles and other tissues that aren't used to a particular type or degree of exercise.

Exercise scientists refer to this as delayed-onset muscle soreness. Typically occurring 24 to 48 hours after strenuous exercise, DOMS has been a topic of debate in the medical community, and several theories have been proposed over the years as to what causes this type of soreness. Those of us who played sports as kids were sure to have heard at least one coach blame lactic acid, which has recently been ruled out as a potential cause of DOMS. Although this compound is produced in the body and may accumulate during strenuous exercise, it is now widely accepted that physical damage to the muscle cells (muscle fibers) is the real culprit.

"Soreness is usually a sign that there is some sort of recovery process taking place within your muscles and it indicates there is inflammation present in the muscle caused by damage during exercise," said Matthew Hulver, assistant professor of metabolic nutrition at Virginia Tech.

When subjected to strenuous contractions, muscle cells experience structural damage to their membranes and functional units if they are not already accustomed to the activity. Breakdown of muscle protein also occurs, and together, these types of damage cause an inflammatory response that causes pain in the affected muscles. Interestingly, DOMS is seen more frequently after an individual performs "eccentric" actions, those that produce force as the muscle lengthens.

So, is there a way to avoid this acute muscle soreness while beginning an exercise program? It seems that the only way to avoid severe DOMS is to approach a new exercise program gradually, starting with low intensity activity and working your way up. Doing so will give your muscles a chance to adapt to the new workload. In regard to weight training, Hulver said, "You can also rotate the days you work different body parts so that you can be working some muscles while others are recovering to help soreness goes away."

DOMS is part of the human body's natural response to strenuous exercise in which muscles are damaged and partially broken down, only to be rebuilt stronger to allow the body to adapt to the specific exercise.

This physiologic response is known as the "repeated bout effect," which allows us to come back stronger after each bout of exercise and to benefit from training programs that continuously subject our bodies to increasing amounts of work.

As difficult as it is to completely avoid all muscle soreness, is it OK to work out when you are sore?

"If you're too sore, you might not be able to do as much during a workout compared with when you aren't sore," said Robert Grange, associate professor in the human nutrition, foods, and exercise department.

Although unsure about a specific physical reason to explain whether or not the same strength gains can be obtained while working out with sore muscles, he thinks that a person with DOMS may simply be less likely to push themselves as hard as they normally would if they weren't sore.

Muscle soreness will always be a part of the lives of both serious athletes and those of us who exercise occasionally. While there is only so much you can do to avoid it, it is important to know that the pain and inflammatory response associated with DOMS is your body's first step in increasing its strength.

So, hit the gym, go for a run, and if you wake up sore the next day, be confident that it's only temporary.