How bad has your DOMS been?

[LAMMI]

Firstly, Hi, I'm Josh Lammi. I have never been a member of any forum on the net before so I don't know how to do a lot of things on here. I have been training for two years. I am married with no kids but one on the way, I'm a Mormon, I love muscle cars (own a HK Brougham) Love bodybuilding and want to compete in a natural show next year. I love long walks on the beach..... jks

So now I have introduced myself, on to the topic.

My leg routine is this: (I train around a sore back, I am a floor sander)

Front squats
hack squats
walking lunges
leg extensions
leg curls

I have had severe DOMS before. But not as bad as I have it right now in my legs. I seriously look like a tool when I walk. I have to walk with a straight legs. Stairs are the devil. Its hard to take a crap cause my glutes hurt so much, let alone the chore of getting down there. I can't believe they hurt so much! I am taking panadol for DOMS haha!

I'm sure there are people in the same boat as me, so chat away!

And don't worry, I get plenty of BCAA's and proteins, Its just this new routine

 

[DKD]

I've had the mother of all DOMS from doing lunges.....had enormous trouble walking down the stairs at the train station. But that was when I was new to weight training.

You said you've been training for 2 years. If that's the case, I'll give you the same advice I give to every other muscle-car loving Mormon I meet....toughen up!!

 

[Rambodian]

Sheeez, 2 yrs training. 10 weeks ago when I first started training my DOMS was so bad I couldn't sit properly for a shit either LOL. So I know what you mean by being that sore, that being said I just forced myself to train through it. Yes it was sore as fuck, but I found that once I warmed up it wasn't as bad. But 2yrs training? What sort of training? was it mostly cardio based? I dont get anywhere near as sore now, still get it but not like in the first couple weeks, I find I'm pretty much a bit sore all the time LOL. Well one things for sure, if your that sore you know its working, so keep doing it.

 

[LAMMI]

Haha thanks DKD, I do need to toughen up!

To be honest, I think lunges is the reason I have gotten it so bad. I have good legs for a natural and I train them often, but have only recently integrated lunges into my routine. Mainly because it puts too much strain on my back using a barbell, but using dumbbells it is fine. I'm sure next week will be better, and I will have recovered by then.

My DOMS usually starts about 24 hours after the session, but this time it started yesterday as soon as I woke up (the morning after) and it is less sore today. I am bombarding my system with amino acids so that must be helping.

I measured my legs today and they have gained almost an inch since that workout. I have also just started supplementing with tri-creatine malate, about 6 grams intra-workout with 10 grams of BCAA's. I have also moved my reps from 8 to 12-15 which I'm sure contributed. I am very happy with these gains, but I know most of it is from water in the cells of the muscle.

 

[liltanker]

Even after 6 solid years I still get doms pretty badly these days, but ive been through some medical crap.

If you've taken time off or go on an irregular basis and lift heavy you'll experience more problems with doms but you could just be one of those guys who gets it pretty bad

 

[ener]

maybe some deep heat to help you crap?

 

[sookie]

I have severe doms in my glutes from deadlift

 

[candyflip]

I've been weight training for more than 20 years, and I still get DOMS. My biggest latest dose was last month, when I couldn't walk for 2 days, properly. That was all from soccer training - using muscles I hadn't used in years, from running sprints. Killed! Many visits to the physio and osteo cause I thought I'd torn my quads!

Do something different to what you are accustomed to, no matter what or who you are, and DOMS is possible. More so for me at this age!

 

[dave]

Train more frequently. Oni most get severe doms with his constant changing of exercises.

 

[Figjam Brah]

Oh man, the first time i done lunges (just bodyweight), I was walking like a tool for 2 days afterwards, they target a completely different area than squats, was a bit of a shock cos i considered myself pretty fit back then..

 

[IRON TANKS]

Maybe in the first year of training bad. After 10 years, you still get them (new program, or a lay off from training) but never as bad as a virgin body.

Pain threshold also increases, so it never feels AS bad.

 

[0ni]

First ever time I started training I got these free passes to my local gym and decided to get the most out of them I would use one a week and do full body. Looking in my log I did 60kg squats for 5x5 (I doubt this was to depth), 1x5x100kg deadlifts (more like 5x1), 3x5x40kg bench press, 3x5x25kg OHP and 15,12,9 pull ups. This was at a bodyweight of 50kg. The funny part is what's written in my log for the day after...

"oh fuck, the soreness is so bad. I can't lift my arms higher than shoulder level and I fear going to the toilet. Can't get on my bike to train, painkillers do nothing! There is not a single part of my body that isn't sore"

I now take beta-alanine daily and that reduces the majority of my DOMS

 

[LAMMI]

I now take beta-alanine daily and that reduces the majority of my DOMS

Do you think that is because of the higher concentrations of carnosine in your muscles that prevent the lactic acid build-up? I have always been under the impression that DOMS is only caused by micro-tears in the muscle fibres. Does lactic acid build up cause DOMS as well? Do any studies suggest this?

 

[0ni]

Yes it takes away the lactic acid factor in DOMS. I read that DOMS from muscle tears happen about 24 hours after exercise and lactic acid soreness will occur in the 8-12 hour mark. Don't know about any studies regarding this though

 

[dave]

Yes it takes away the lactic acid factor in DOMS. I read that DOMS from muscle tears happen about 24 hours after exercise and lactic acid soreness will occur in the 8-12 hour mark. Don't know about any studies regarding this though

Wow that is some bad info.

Lactic acid does not cause any DOMS any way shape or form. Muscle tears happens as a result of the eccentric exercise being performed and therefore happen immediately but the inflammation effects etc are not felt until around the 24 hour mark.

 

[LAMMI]

I have just read two articles about DOMS. One stating that lactic acid does cause it, and the other disregarding it. Its hard to know what to believe when there is not much scientific evidence supporting it.

 

[0ni]

Wow that is some bad info.

Lactic acid does not cause any DOMS any way shape or form. Muscle tears happens as a result of the eccentric exercise being performed and therefore happen immediately but the inflammation effects etc are not felt until around the 24 hour mark.

Did I just word it wrong? I'm pretty sure that lactic acid (or some other toxin) contributes to the soreness post-workout as well as the inflammation from micro-tears..

Reading up on it now shows that it's not caused by lactic acid but thinking logically, getting a 'pump' in the muscle to get blood flowing in the area 24 hours after training definitely reduces soreness and I was thinking that the blood flow would have cleared some sort of toxin out of the muscles to achieve this (broscience at it's finest right here). So why does this phenomenon occur?

 

[dave]

Did I just word it wrong? I'm pretty sure that lactic acid (or some other toxin) contributes to the soreness post-workout as well as the inflammation from micro-tears..

Reading up on it now shows that it's not caused by lactic acid but thinking logically, getting a 'pump' in the muscle to get blood flowing in the area 24 hours after training definitely reduces soreness and I was thinking that the blood flow would have cleared some sort of toxin out of the muscles to achieve this (broscience at it's finest right here). So why does this phenomenon occur?

Think of this logically. I could make you squat 50 sets of 1 rep with 180 to 300 seconds rest. It will require a minimal anaerobic glycolysis response but a large CP and straight ATP usage. If you had not squatted before you will wake up the next morning and want to punch me in the face due to DOMS yet there was hardly any lactic acid being produced.

 

[0ni]

Think of this logically. I could make you squat 50 sets of 1 rep with 180 to 300 seconds rest. It will require a minimal anaerobic glycolysis response but a large CP and straight ATP usage. If you had not squatted before you will wake up the next morning and want to punch me in the face due to DOMS yet there was hardly any lactic acid being produced.

While that is true, that doesn't mean that lactate doesn't contribute to soreness, just that it doesn't contribute to soreness in that particular situation