Alpha Progression
Muscle soreness
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), often known as muscle soreness, is a typical side effect of strength training and other types of exercise. It is the ache and stiffness that develops a day or two after a workout. Microtears in the muscle fibers during challenging or intense activities can lead to DOMS.
It's crucial to gradually increase your volume and intensity when training to avoid too much muscle soreness. This means you should not jump straight into heavy lifting without first building your strength and endurance. You should instead provide your muscles with time to adjust and lower your risk of injury by gradually increasing the volume and intensity of your workouts from week to week.
Avoiding frequent exercise variation is another approach to prevent muscle soreness. Maintaining a regular exercise schedule is crucial since your body will adjust to the exercises and be better equipped to bear the stress of the training. This will lessen the possibility of experiencing muscle soreness.
It's crucial to relax and heal if you have aching muscles. The same muscle area should not be worked out again until the soreness disappears. To relieve discomfort, you can also apply heat or ice and, if necessary, take over-the-counter painkillers.
An important thing to keep in mind is that muscle soreness is NOT always an effective indicator of how well you have trained a muscle. The idea that soreness is a sign of an effective workout is a common myth, but this is not actually true. Soreness can result from a number of things, including trying out a new exercise, working in a rep range your body isn't used to, etc., but soreness does not reflect the effectiveness of a set one way or another; rather, your progression over time on a given exercise is the best indicator of muscle growth.
One other thing of note is that you should keep in mind the difference between muscle soreness and muscle pain. Experiencing a dull soreness after a workout is perfectly normal, and while you may want to avoid training that muscle until the soreness goes away, it is not a cause for major concern. On the other hand, if you experience a sharp pain while doing an exercise or when moving your muscle a certain way, this may be a sign of an injury, and you should consider seeing a doctor if the pain continues.
Try our strength training app, Alpha Progression, if you're searching for a great way to gain muscle without getting too sore. Use the plan generator, enable periodization, and get a plan with gradually increasing volume and intensity so your body can adjust to new workouts and gain muscle as effectively as possible.
