Since the weather has been so nice lately, one of my friends has been trying to talk me into taking our bikes out onto the local bike trails. So finally yesterday afternoon, I took my bike out of storage and went on a ride. We were enjoying the ride so much, by the time I got home, we had gone 8 miles!

I’m usually a pretty active person, but it had been a while since I had been out on a trail ride – particularly one of that length! I felt great while biking, but this morning I was definitely feeling the effects. Everything was sore!

It is very common after a strenuous workout to experience muscle soreness. In fact, it even has a name: delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). While not always fun, DOMS is actually part of an adaptation process that leads to greater stamina and strength as the muscles recover. So you could call this a good type of pain.

Even as I sit here typing, I can feel my muscles yelling at me.  So to help soothe the soreness, I found a couple of tips I wanted to share with you.  Here’s a few of my favorites.

Massage the muscles. There has been some research that shows that massage was effective in alleviating DOMS by up to 30%.

Try some yoga. There is some research that shows that yoga may help reduce DOMS. Additionally, the stretching and balance will benefit you in future workouts.

Give it time. Typically DOMS affects people for about two days after a strenuous workout. Make sure to schedule time between workouts that target the same muscle areas.

So while DOMS can be an annoyance, it does no permanent damage to your body.  Quite the opposite, in fact!  However, if you feel pain or discomfort during a workout, don’t keep pushing yourself. Consult with your doctor before beginning a new, rigorous training schedule. Prevention is essential to averting sports injuries!

How do you deal with the soreness from DOMS?  Leave a comment and we’ll compare tips!

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