Should you exercise when you’re still sore from your last workout?

DELAYED onset muscle soreness happens to the best of us. But will training the day after a workout make you feel better, even when walking down stairs is torture?

Should you train when you’re sore from yesterday?

HAVE you ever heard someone use DOMS as an excuse to take a day off training?

Or possibly as the reason why they are whining and groaning as they walk down the stairs? Who is this DOM character? Why are women groaning and men squealing? Are you missing out?

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is not some fancy pizza joint or the kind of place you go and leave your keys in a bowl. It is the pain and stiffness that is generally associated with strenuous exercise. To be more specific it is brought on more with the eccentric part of the exercise (when the muscle is lengthening rather than shortening).

The exact mechanism of DOMS is still not well understood, but most people who lift regularly have their own thoughts on the process. Most regular lifters trying to gain muscle look at DOMS as a goal to know they have worked the muscle hard enough to encourage it to grow stronger.

What we do know is that exercise consisting of eccentric contractions of the muscle create micro trauma. This may effect calcium, lactic and inflammation levels within the muscle. All resulting in increased sensitivity or pain.

So should we train if we have DOMS?

Firstly, remember that by lifting heavy bits of steel, rocks, logs, or whatever it is you like to throw around, you are stressing your body in the hope of a beneficial adaptation to that stress.

In English, that means our bodies adapt when they are challenged. But if you challenge it too much, it will fail. The younger you are generally the more you can be pushed, pulled and prodded before something tears or snaps.

Generally when training with DOMS:

— Give sore muscles time to rest. Work the antagonist muscle. One day work your pull muscles, the next day work your push muscles and give the pulling muscles a rest.

— Get yourself a massage and encourage blood flow.

— Do some gentle cardio exercises instead. Swimming is great to flush the muscles!

Ask yourself these questions before training if you pull up sore from the day before:

— Is this my normal feeling of tenderness or does it feel like I’ve actually strained or torn something?

— Does the pain ease up fairly quickly once I’m warmed up and blood pumping or is it still sore? If it’s still sore then I would keep the exercise very light.

— Is it just sore to stretch or is it sore when I contract it? If it’s sore on contraction it is possibly a sign that there is more damage there such as tendinitis or a strain.

— Is there any bruising? This is usually a sign of a strain/tear.

Of course if any injuries are suspected, make sure you see a great sports chiro, physio, osteo or acupuncturist who can assess and help to encourage correct healing and prevent recurrence.

Just as you maintain your car with regular services, don’t wait until you blow a head gasket and have to spend thousands on rebuilding your engine. Train smart and keep the balance when stimulating the body to adapt to challenges without over challenging. You’ve got one body, make it strong and keep it that way. Look after yourselves!

Dr Tim Robards is a chiropractor and exercise scientist (B. Med. Sc, M. Chiro) and regular news.com.au columnist. His observations and research into what people need to live a healthy life and thrive in their environment has led him to develop The Robards Method. You can follow Tim on Instagram and Twitter.