DOMS is one malady with which every bodybuilder worth his salt is very experienced. Short for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, DOMS is the condition you experience 1 to 3 days following your workout, with the absolute peak occurring 48 hours after the conclusion of your routine. DOMS is characterized by localized pain or stiffness in a muscle group. It is worse upon waking in the morning, or after sitting in one position for an extended period of time. DOMS effects are known by anyone who’s ever completed a serious workout. The effects of DOMS lessen over time. The more years you have in the gym, the less soreness you face following each workout. Still, at all levels of bodybuilding, you expect some level of soreness and stiffness in the days that follow a tough workout. Despite all the great genes, protein-rich diets, supplements and gear, some things never change. DOMS is a real part of the bodybuilding lifestyle.

Avoiding DOMS is not easy. Many wise bodybuilders work to minimize the soreness by completing intense stretching. This can take place immediately following a workout to break up lactic acid in the region. It can also take place at night before bed, to alleviate some of the stiffness which will occur at night. And naturally, it should take place the following days, to ensure stiffness is minimized. Additionally, ensuring you receive adequate sleep will work wonders in helping with muscle group recovery. Some nutritional aspects are involved as well. Consuming orange juice helps break up lactic acid buildup. Protein is always a major key for recovery. And, the use of simple carbohydrates to deliver proteins quickly following a workout, when the muscle fibers have just been ‘trashed’, is essential as well. Finally, supplements such as Vitamin C and glutamine can be used to aid in the recovery process, which helps to lessen the effects of DOMS over the next 24 to 48 to 72 hours.

Another method employed by many bodybuilders and athletes to combat the effects of DOMS upon daily lives as well as training routines, is the use of NSAIDs. These are defined as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and include naproxen, aspirin, and the most famous with bodybuilders, ibuprofen. Many athletes, from track runners to football players to bodybuilders, employ the use of NSAIDs in their regular diet and supplementation routines as a matter of common practice. They’re used to the soreness, and have just developed a habit of popping a few Advil following leg day, or each morning to alleviate whatever DOMS they’re battling that morning. When DOMS combines with sore or injured joints or tendons (which are often sustained in sports), the pain can become even more prevalent – which makes the casual and habitual use of NSAIDs even more prevalent.

If you’re guilty of this practice, it’s time to stop. NSAIDs halt the production of prostaglandins, hormone-like substances in the bloodstream which are required to facilitate protein synthesis – and muscle growth. You may be eliminating DOMS with your NSAID habit, but you’re sabotaging your own muscle growth at the same time. Instead, work to find alternative solutions to DOMS, or just learn to live with it!

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