Muscle Soreness

There are two types of muscle soreness; one is the burning that we feel in our muscles while we are working out, and this is commonly known as lactic-acid build-up. The second kind is the stiffness and soreness we may encounter for two to five days after we have worked out, this is ordinarily referred to as delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS for short).

How is lactic acid formed?

Oxygen is required for breaking down of glucose to get energy. But when we exercise, the body part which we are exercising does not get as much oxygen as required and lactic acid is formed in the muscles of that body part due to anaerobic respiration.

The burning feeling we experience during workout is a sign that we are working out to your maximum and also lactic acid build up is taking place. Once lactic acid build up has started, the body can only continue to use that particular muscle (rep) for another 1 to 3 minutes. Traces of lactic acid last for maximum of 24 hours.

Detailed biology behind lactic acid formation:-

The body prefers to generate most of its energy using aerobic methods, meaning with oxygen. When we perform strenuous exercise, the working muscles generate energy anaerobically. The energy comes from glucose through a process called glycolysis, in which glucose is broken down or metabolized into a substance called pyruvate through a series of steps.

But when oxygen is limited, the body temporarily converts pyruvate into a substance called lactate, which allows glucose breakdown--and thus energy production--to continue. The working muscle cells can continue this type of anaerobic energy production at high rates for one to three minutes, during which time lactate can accumulate to high levels.

High lactate levels increase in the acidity of the muscle cells. Breaking down of glucose to energy is done poorly in this acidic environment. This is a natural defence mechanism for the body; it prevents permanent damage during extreme exertion by slowing the key systems needed to maintain muscle contraction. Once the body slows down, oxygen becomes available and lactate reverts back to pyruvate, allowing continued aerobic metabolism and energy for the body’s recovery from the strenuous event.

What is DOMS?

DOMS is the pain, stiffness we feel for 2-3 days after a demanding or new workout which prevents full muscular contraction. This pain and stiffness usually intensifies within the first 1 to 2 days and then ebbs.

DOMS is actually caused by the damage of the muscle cells created by the workout, leading to swelling and soreness, which peaks in day or two after the workout and resolves a few days later, depending on the severity of the damage.

A little DOMS can be a great indicator that we have successfully pushed ourselves. On the other hand, severe DOMS indicates that we have overexerted ourselves.

There is nothing we should be worried about, but few things if taken care can help the soreness to fade out quickly like

• Drinking lots of water
• Training for not more than 10 minutes at one machine and the entire training session should be of around 60 minutes.

Besides these the two most important things to lessen DOMS,  are:-

• Ensure proper nutrition: Protein helps to build and repair our muscles. If we take proteins an hour after the workout, it helps in quick rebuilding of the muscles. So as a thumb rule we should take 1-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight during the entire day. So if you are 60kg (130 lbs.) you should take 130gms of protein.
• Do some cardio: Doing cardio helps to build stamina which helps us during training.

To sum up, the build up of lactic acid is signaled by the feeling of muscle burn. DOMS, on the other hand, is the pain and stiffness felt from anywhere between one to five days after a strenuous activity.

We should always adapt our sessions according to the results we want to get. Adapting to load varies from person to person, so there is no fixed rule. Sometimes we get a lot of soreness; at that stage we should do the same exercise next 2-3 times with same intensity. If we don’t get any soreness, we should do a little more. If we do it right, for the same physical effort, then we should be able to add a couple more reps each session. But we should be able to know when we have over exhausted ourselves and when we have done it the wrong way because doing it the wrong way will cause injuries.

Credits:- Manas Hemrajani, Paras Hemrajani, Mr. Kavinder Saini