This week’s exercises were different….using mainly our body weight we certainly became aware of our backside.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), is the pain and stiffness we feel in our muscles several hours, to days after they are used in an unfamiliar way.
DOMS doesn’t only occur after strenuous exercise, it can happen after a particularly long walk, after a night out dancing, after a bad cough or even after an intensive laugh!
Symptoms can range from muscle tenderness to severe debilitating pain. I avoid pain where ever I can, however, avoiding DOMS is difficult because sometimes I am unaware of what exercise my body finds unusual.
Take for example this week’s workout; it was based on body weight exercises comprising of everyday movement patterns. One of our Shapers commented, “It seemed innocuous” until getting out of bed, walking down stairs or even lifting a cup of tea became a problem.
Sensible exercise programs do not aim at causing pain, a commonly held belief among trainees is that soreness translates to progress, and it is not necessarily true.
What is DOMS
Previously, DOMS was thought to be caused by the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles, research has proven this to be incorrect.
Lactic acid is typically removed from the muscles within 30 to 60 seconds and is the reason we take rests breaks between sets when lifting weights.
DOMS is now thought to be microscopic tears in the muscle fibres that give rise to inflammation and the sensation of pain; another word for DOMS is muscle fever.
Surprising; it is not heavy lifting but lengthening and stabilising that are more likely to cause the condition.
Examples of these types of exercises include running downhill, lowering weights or lowering down into a squat or a push-up position, essentially, the “easy” part of the exercise.
DOMS, pain relief and fitness
The definitive cause of DOMS is not yet understood, therefore pain relief that works is elusive.
Consequently, it is best to keep recovery natural, an Epsom salt bath can help you feel better and during sleep, the body will actively repair muscle tissue and enhance its function.
It is the luck of the draw that some people are more susceptible to muscle soreness and others can train hard with little pain impact.
A consolation is that once the muscles repair, they will be less likely to react to the stress of exercise and can focus on building stronger and more efficient movement patterns.
Nevertheless, it is important to understand that fitness is about improving the efficiency of your body’s ability to meet the demands of physical activity.
The best form of training for fitness is progressive overload, and that means each week striving to better the performance of the week before – Pain Free.
Our program designed with exercises that challenge your strength and endurance can be tailored to your personal ability.
We hope that we can encourage you to test the limits of your talents safely and help you find new capabilities!
I leave you this week with words by Lance Armstrong a questionable character, who survived cancer and went on to win the Tour de France consecutively for seven years. He was stripped of his titles in 2012 for doping.
We learn from Armstrong that cheaters do not win in the game of life. Given the struggles he overcame in his life, his reflection on pain is noteworthy.
Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
Live well and eat well
Anna
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