Two Types of Muscle Soreness: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and Acute Muscle Soreness

There are two types of muscle discomfort. Ok ok, muscle pain.

1. Delayed onset muscles soreness (DOMS) and
2. Acute muscle soreness

Know why your muscles are sore.
Your muscles aren’t broken.

Acute muscle soreness occurs immediately after exercise and even during the workout. When you’re working out you can feel your muscles working hard and understand their discomfort. It has to do with lactate, decreased oxygen and tissue swelling within the muscle – all part of the natural process of building muscle strength and endurance. This kind of muscle pain and discomfort is usually short-lasting and disappears quickly once the body is resting, lactate clears and the muscle swelling subsides.

Getting stronger isn’t easy! Producing results is uncomfortable.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) occurs in the day or two following a workout. This kind of post-exercise pain and stiffness isn’t quite like the stinging, burning sensation brought on by acute soreness. This uncomfortable phenomenon is explained by several theories, the most common being tiny ruptures and tears to the muscle experienced during the workout. The structural changes to the muscle fibers require tissue repair activity that stimulates nerve endings. Some scientists believe that stimulation is the delayed muscle soreness. Whatever it is, it’s not lactic acid - common exercise myth BUSTED!