Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

You know what's fun?   That burning sensation in your muscles the day after a hard workout.  The feeling of heaviness, pain, and soreness that makes it hard to lift your arms, walk down stairs, or sit, depending on what muscle groups you tortured worked on.

It's a blast, isn't it?

If you're new to exercise, the day after being in the gym, you may wake up thinking that you've injured yourself.  While that is possible, it's more likely that you're just experiencing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (or DOMS).   So what is DOMS, anyway?

This article explains that:

 Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) describes a phenomenon of muscle pain, muscle soreness or muscle stiffness that occurs in the day or two after exercise. This muscle soreness is most frequently felt when you begin a new exercise program, change your exercise routine, or dramatically increase the duration or intensity of your exercise routine.

Also:

Delayed onset muscle soreness is thought to be a result of microscopic tearing of the muscle fibers. The amount of tearing (and soreness) depends on how hard and how long you exercise and what type of exercise you do. Any movement you aren't used to can lead to DOMS, but eccentric muscle contractions (movements that cause muscle to forcefully contract while it lengthens) seem to cause the most soreness.

Fortunately, DOMS goes away after a few days - and if it's bothering you too much, you can always take ibuprofen or something similar to help with the pain.  The absolute best way to deal with DOMS, however, is to prevent it in the first place - for example, by not giving up on the gym for over a year and then expecting to pick up where you left off.  (And yes, I'm talking to myself here.  Don't mind me.) 

For more information on DOMS, you can go here.  If you'd like to experience DOMS for yourself, I can give you the name of my trainer.  

(He IS kinda hot....  My trainer.  Not this guy.)