Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, How to Reduce DOMS and When to Train Through It

The short version. Delayed onset muscle soreness, DOMS, is the stiffness and ache that shows up a day or two after a session your muscles were not used to, peaks around 48 hours and fades by day four or five. It is not lactic acid and it is not an injury. The things that reliably reduce it are a gradual build, easy movement the next day, sleep, enough protein and calories, and simply having done the session before. Ice, compression and foam rolling take the edge off. Stretching does nothing for it. Anti-inflammatories relieve it and blunt the adaptation you did the session for. You can train easy through DOMS. You should not train hard through it.

What delayed onset muscle soreness is

DOMS comes from eccentric work, the lengthening contractions that happen when a muscle controls a load rather than lifting it. Running downhill, the lowering half of a squat, the braking at every footstrike of a long run. That work causes microscopic damage in the muscle fibers and a repair response that includes inflammation and fluid, which is why the muscle feels tight, swollen and tender to touch. The pain is delayed because the inflammatory response takes time to build, which is also why DOMS so often starts in bed the first night and is worst on the second morning.

It is not caused by lactate. Lactate clears within an hour of a workout. And it is not a sign of damage you need to protect. Muscles that have been through DOMS once get much less of it from the same session next time, the repeated bout effect, and that protection lasts for weeks.

Why endurance athletes get it

• The first weeks of strength training, or the first weeks back after a break.
• Downhill running and trail races.
• The jump into 18 and 20 mile long runs in marathon training.
• A new sport, which is why runners who start triathlon get sore from cycling and swimmers get sore from running.
• Age. Repair is slower after 50, and the same session leaves more soreness for longer.

What actually reduces DOMS

Ranked by how good the evidence is.

1. Progress gradually. The repeated bout effect is the strongest protection there is. Introduce a new stimulus at a fraction of the eventual load and the body adapts with little soreness. This is why the 80/20 strength phases start with 20 to 30 slow reps at light loads before anything heavy, and why the plans add long-run distance a little at a time.
2. Keep moving. Twenty to thirty minutes of very easy cycling, swimming or walking the day after a hard session raises blood flow without adding damage and consistently shortens how long the soreness lasts. A Zone 1 recovery run counts.
3. Sleep and food. Repair happens overnight and needs protein, roughly 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight spread through the day, and enough total calories. Athletes who are under-fueled are sore for longer.
4. Fluids and electrolytes. Hydration status affects how muscles feel. Athletes who lose a lot of salt in sweat often notice less soreness once they replace it.
5. Heat, massage and foam rolling. A warm bath, a massage or ten minutes on a roller reduce the feeling of soreness in the studies that have measured it. They do not speed repair, but feeling better is worth something.
6. Compression. Garments and boots give a small, consistent reduction in soreness. Pleasant, not powerful.
7. Cold water immersion. Reduces soreness in the short term, but repeated use after strength sessions blunts the strength gains the session was for. Save it for race week.
8. Anti-inflammatories. Ibuprofen and similar drugs relieve the pain and also interfere with the repair and adaptation response, and they carry stomach and kidney risk when you are training hard and sweating. Occasional use is fine. Routine use is not.
9. Stretching. Before or after, it has no measurable effect on DOMS. Stretch if you like it, not for this.

Training with DOMS

Easy training is fine and usually helps. Zone 1 and Zone 2 sessions, swims and spins all move blood through sore muscles without adding damage. Hard sessions are the problem. Sore muscles produce less force, your stride changes to protect them, and that is how a quality session turns into a poor one or a real injury. If the soreness alters how you move, swap the hard day for an easy one and do the hard session when you can move normally. In an 80/20 plan that is usually a two-day shift, not a lost week.

If you are routinely sore for days after your scheduled sessions, the plan is too far ahead of your current state. Drop a level, or hold the current week’s load for an extra week before progressing. A good plan should leave you feeling pretty good most of the time.

When it is not DOMS

DOMS is dull, symmetrical, stiff in the morning and better once you are moving. See someone if the pain is sharp or on one side only, if it sits in a joint or tendon rather than the belly of the muscle, if it is getting worse after day three, or if it lasts beyond five days. Go to urgent care if severe soreness comes with swelling, weakness and dark urine, which can signal rhabdomyolysis, a rare but serious breakdown of muscle tissue after extreme exertion.

Frequently asked questions

How long does DOMS last?
It starts 12 to 24 hours after the session, peaks at 24 to 72 hours and is gone by day four or five. Longer than that, or getting worse after day three, is something else.

How do I get rid of DOMS fast?
You cannot speed the repair much, but you can feel better. Easy movement, a warm bath, a massage or foam rolling, a good meal with protein, and sleep. Avoid the hard session until you move normally again.

Should I work out with DOMS?
Easy sessions, yes, they help. Hard sessions, no. Sore muscles produce less force and change your stride, which is how a workout becomes an injury.

Does stretching help DOMS?
No. Studies find no effect of stretching before or after exercise on muscle soreness. Stretch for other reasons if you enjoy it.

Is DOMS a sign of a good workout?
No. It is a sign of an unfamiliar workout. The same session done again next week will cause far less soreness and the same adaptation. Chasing soreness is chasing novelty, not fitness.

How do I avoid DOMS when I start strength training?
Begin with light loads and high reps, 20 to 30 per set, for the first several weeks and add load slowly. That is how the 80/20 strength program starts, and it is also why recovery is scheduled, not left to chance. Every 80/20 plan is built the same way, and Team 80/20 includes them all.