Workouts have you feeling sore?

As I sit here in pain, (not debilitating pain, but more an annoying, can't walk upstairs pain), I wonder how many people really know what causes muscle soreness after a good workout. 

You know?....the pain that gradually creeps up on you days after you worked out!!!

Some of you know, I decided to go back to heavy lifting this past Monday and my body is feeling it!  My chest, legs, triceps .....yup all of it! 

Now, I don't get this muscle soreness often (only after not doing certain workouts for a long period of time), but there are some people are prone to getting it after almost every workout.  So what is it?  What causes it?

Well, I did a little research.....

What you're feeling anywhere from 12-48 hours after a workout is something doctors refer to as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). It's also the stuff that's has you dreading stairs and struggling to lift your arms to wash your hair in the shower!!!

Many people think this pain is just pulled muscles, but that is not the case.  DOMS are the result of microscopic tears within muscle tissues, which is what you're creating when you workout. This is normal tearing, as stronger leaner muscles are created by repairing a damaged muscle that you worked hard in your workout.  When you workout, you tear the muscle fibers and your body builds them back up stronger and leaner.  The pain you feel after is your body's way of signaling to you that repair work is going on and that you'd best leave it be for a few days. Your body is smart like that, and it always lets you know when it's time to get back to it, by way of alleviating the soreness.

So your question now may be...is there a way to avoid DOMS?

In short, you can't. No one has yet figured a way to avoid DOMS, and maybe that's a good thing. After all, it is the body's signal to your brain that it needs a rest. Plus, you have to admit, there's something supremely satisfying about the feeling you get from having to walk like Betty White for a couple of days after a kick-ass leg workout (which is where I am at as I write this!!).

Although there is not a way to avoid the soreness, there are ways to reduce the pain (thank god!!).

Men's Fitness recommends the following for treatment:

• Ibuprofen: Low-dose, over-the-counter painkillers—and Ibuprofen in particular, which has specifically been shown to decrease muscle soreness—will help take the edge off of severe cases of DOMS. But note, this will just hide the pain...it will not stop it from happening!

• Gentle Stretching: When muscles are in recovery mode they tend to tighten up, exacerbating feelings of soreness. Slow, gentle stretching of the area will relieve that tight feeling and diffuse the pain.

• Light Massage: Massaging a sore muscle can help reduce tightness while promoting blood flow, which in turn helps speed recovery, thus shortening the duration of DOMS.

• Warm Bath: As with massage, warm water will loosen up tight muscles and improve circulation. Better circulation means more oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood coming to the rescue of your aching muscles. Epsom salt is also good to add to a warm bather to help sooth the soreness.

• Hot/Cold Treatment: Apply an ice pack for 15 minutes, followed by a heat pack for another 15, and back again. Studies have shown alternating cold with hot to be highly effective in promoting both circulation and muscle recuperation.

From my experience, I recommend using supplements such as BCAA's and Glutamine to help reduce DOMS (both available at any health store).
I also just started using the Beachbody Line of Performance supplements this week which includes some awesome products- Energize, Hydrate, Recharge and Recover. I know my DOMS would be a lot worse this week if I wasn't using these!!

The Advanced Performance Pack is what I went with and it includes the following:

• Energize Pre-Workout Formula 
  Help find more energy, motivation, and focus to power through your toughest workouts with enhanced endurance. Start strong so you can finish stronger. 
  
  
• Hydrate During-Workout Formula - Hydrate your body more effectively than water alone for all-out performance by drinking Hydrate during workouts. Typical sports drinks have too much sugar and artificial ingredients that can actually dehydrate you. And water alone doesn't effectively hydrate or replace what you lose through sweat during workouts. Hydrate is specially formulated to give you an optimal balance of carbohydrates, electrolytes, and water, which quickly replaces what's lost and helps improve your endurance, so you can work out longer and feel better.
  
  
• Recover Post-Workout Formula - Take advantage of the critical post-workout window to help speed recovery and reduce exercise-induced muscle soreness with Recover. Key ingredients include high-quality time-released proteins to support muscle recovery, an optimal ratio of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to help build muscle, just enough carbohydrates to stimulate muscle glycogen recovery, and a powerful ellagitannin-rich pomegranate extract to help improve strength recovery and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness.

• Recharge Nighttime Recovery Formula
  Help accelerate recovery, combat exercise-induced muscle soreness, and promote muscle growth when your body is primed to accept it: while you sleep. Recharge is specifically designed to help support your body at night, with key ingredients like micellar casein protein to support overnight muscle recovery and repair while combating breakdown, an optimal ratio of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to help support muscle growth, and a powerful anthocyanin-rich tart cherry powder to help reduce exercise-induced muscle soreness.
  
  
  Order your stack today at:  Advanced Performance Stack

Other recommendations I would give is staying hydrated before, during and after a workout (Beachbody Hydrate is great for this), avoiding long breaks in between workout days and on rest days or light workout days, try to do some active recovery workouts such a yoga or light/moderate walking.

So just remember, that pain you feel is a good pain!  It means that you worked your muscles hard and that they are now repairing themselves to be even bigger and better!!  So keep doing what you're doing and just avoid the stairs after leg day!