San Antonio Personal Training

11/16/07

When you wake up the day after a workout, do you feel sore?  If not, you probably are not working out with enough intensity.  The feeling of soreness or stiffness in your muscles a day or two following an intense workout is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS.  Unfortunately, this is a necessary evil if you want to gain muscle and have the more defined, toned look on your body.

DOMS occurs because of the tiny tears that are created in your muscles during your workout.  These tiny tears are repaired by chemicals in your body called prostaglandin which allow your muscle fibers to become bigger and stronger.  This is what your goal should be during every workout if you truely want to look great and keep your body composition in a positive ratio.

The key to getting stronger and having healthier looking muscles is to workout with enough intensity as to cause your muscles to tear and then to allow your muscles to repair themselves during the DOMS phase.  This means doing intense and vigirous exercise 2,3, or 4 times per week and then allowing your muscles to repair by doing limited workouts when you are suffering from DOMS.  If you are suffering from DOMS, then allow yourself a few days to repair.  Go for a small jog and do a few pushups to allow blood flow into the muscles, but don't do anything overly vigirous.

If you are not suffering from DOMS a day or two after your workouts then you are not doing your muscles any good during your workouts.  Make sure to workout with enough intensity so that you don't waste your time in the gym.

Make it a great day San Antonio!

Nicholas Wood

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(210)415-5934