Good Evening everyone.
I hope you are well and that you've had a lovely weekend!
What have you guys been up to now that lockdown is beginning to ease? Although not a lot is open in the UK yet, I am super happy that a lot more restaurants are open for takeaways. Me and my boyfriend had a Nando’s the other day which was amazing – Although we did have to wait 4 and ½ hours. Believe it or not Nando’s is actually super good for Veggies and Vegans, you wouldn’t think it being a Chicken restaurant, but it’s actually one of my favourite places to eat!
I’ve also had 2 Starbucks in the last 24 hours, and I can imagine there will be many more to come in the following weeks. I really shouldn’t drink coffee as it gives me an Upset tummy, but I just can’t resist the Soya Caramel Frappuchinos!
As well as the Nando’s I’ve also had a Dominos (I’m lucky that my boyfriend works there as he gets super good discounts) and a few Subways… So I may have been treating my self a little too much, but it’s been so worth it!
For Today’s post I’m going to talk about something that affects each and every one of us Gym Bunnies- Yes that includes you! And that is DOMS, which stands for Delayed onset muscle soreness. You may actually remember a post similar to this one on my old blog, however as I have gained a lot more knowledge in this area, I thought I would do a 'New and Improved' version of this post.
You have most likely heard this term in the gym before but don’t know what it means? (don’t worry we've all been there) To put it simply, DOM'S is the pain that occurs in the muscles when they have been over-worked through exercise and begin to feel stiff and sore. This normally occurs after 24-72 hours and is thought to be caused by eccentric exercises such as weight lifting and cardio.
DOMS Is usually more present in people who are starting out at the gym or aren’t used to regular exercise, but can also become present in people who work out frequently at very high intensities. So when I say it affects us all - I meant it!
If you’re anything like me, DOMS can cause excruciating pain in the muscles, especially in your Legs and Glutes after a Leg day where its hard to even bend or sit down for a few days after! No really, I remember having to take a day off of sixth form a few years back because it was so bad...
How to avoid DOMS:
Its much easier to cure DOMS if we don’t allow it to happen in the first place! A little bit of muscle soreness after a workout is a good thing as it shows you have worked the body hard enough to produce Micro Tears, the tiny tears that occur in the muscles which then heal and cause our muscles to become stronger and therefore causing Hypertrophy.
But if your anything like Collette was a year back, and it kills for you to even bend your legs after a leg day, Then you NEED to read these 6 simple tips to avoid it...
Go at your own pace:
While it is important that you push yourself, it is also important to gradually intensify your workouts. If you are a beginner and go straight into doing heavy weight squats (It can be tempting), then it is very likely you will experience DOMS. Start at a moderate yet challenging level for you and gradually increase intensity over time as you become stronger. Doing this will help you in the long run as it will keep workouts more consistent and will mean that you don’t miss out on any workouts due to muscle pains or injuries.
Exercise or physical stresses which are considered as "outside your comfort zone" can cause DOMS too. Exercises we aren’t used to doing, or a new range of intensities can cause this soreness and even injuries in the fittest people. After a while, if you are keeping your workouts consistent then your body will eventually adapt and react a little better, yes it will still ache, but not enough to stop you from doing your next workout... so don’t give up!
Warm up:
Okay, we're all guilty of missing out a warm up....
However, another important factor on preventing DOMS is to warm up properly! I cannot stress you enough how important this is... I ignored warm ups for such a long time and did myself some serious damage.
Due to not warming up properly I have missed up to 3 workouts a week in the past due to DOMS. DO NOT IGNORE YOUR WARM UPS! Do something specific to your workout, for instance, on a Glute day I will warm up by doing incline walking on a treadmill and gradually increase the intensity.
Not warming up properly can rip your muscles, casing serious pain, injury and set backs, so although warming up may not seem like a big deal... it kind of is!
Cool down: Alongside warming up, cooling down is just as important! If we don’t cool down effectively then lactic acid builds up in our bodies and causes muscle pains. It’s important that we do not miss out cooling down, and make sure you include stretching in this!
I ignored this a lot of the time when I was at the Gym as I was “In a rush”. (tbh I was just being Lazy) But now I’m working out at home and have more “time” I’m taking a lot more time to stretch after my workouts and it is making a big difference.
It also helps to use a foam roller on the muscles you have used which helps to Untighten the muscles and release any knots. P.s, Aldi currently have these as a ‘special buy’ for about £5 – But they’re going pretty quickly.
If you have resistance bands, these can also really help enhance your stretches. I got mine from Amazon for about £20. If you don’t have some of these already then I would highly recommend getting some, as they are great for home workouts.
Keep it cool: Immersing the muscles into cool icy water is a great way to release tension and pain in the Muscles, however plunging your body into an ice cold bath doesn’t sound too appealing, right? It's okay, I have alternatives... I prefer to get similar effects by taking a cool shower or massaging the affected area with a cold towel
Sleep:
Sleep problems can also affect DOMS, lack of sleep can really increase Muscular pain as we have not allowed the body to have enough time for rest and recovery, so don’t ignore sleep because I promise you it is crucial! The average adult should be having at least 7-9 hours of good sleep a night. Allow yourself time to wind down and relax and let those muscles chill out for a while.
Massaging: Sports massages can be a really effective way to reduce DOMS or any form of muscle soreness, its a fantastic way to treat your body after you have been working it super hard, however these come with a large cost and if like me you’re not willing to pay the price then there is some alternative ways to reduce muscle soreness.
I like to use deep heat rubs to massage into the area which is hurting for 5 or so minutes. This will reduce the pain for a short while but will probably have no long term effects.
I currently use the Voltarol Pain-Eze Emulgel which is amazing. You can get this for about £13.49 at Boots
As mentioned above, using a foam roller once a day can help loosen knots in the muscles, reduce tension and reduce soreness. This is defiantly something to look into as it could make a huge difference!
My favourite supplements for DOMS include-
Protein: traditional yet effective, protein helps growth and repair of the muscles. DOMS occurs when the muscles tear and cause inflammation. Protein will help the muscles to repair and grow, and therefore reduce pain in the muscles after a workout. Consume a protein shake after your workout, and try and eat a high protein diet.
I currently use the MyProtein Vegan Clear protein, which has a juice like texture. I prefer this as I don’t like the Milky texture of shakes.
This stuff tastes AMAZING, so if you haven’t tried it already I would highly recommend!
BCAA'S: I have just started to take BCAA'S and I love them! They have made a huge change in my workouts and I am already experiencing way less pain and aches after a workout since taking them. BCAA is short for Branch Chain Amino Acids, which increase the muscles ability to recover after exercise and reduces muscle breakdown after exercise. BCAAS are the most commonly used supplements for DOMS.
I currently use the MET-RX BCAAS which are available for about £9.99 from Holland and Barrett
Glutamine: Glutamine is very similar to BCAA'S in terms of reducing muscle breakdown after a workout, however I find you need quite a high dosage so this can be less cost effective than BCAAS.
Fast acting carbohydrates: These can be found in most sports drinks and jelly’s. Exercising depletes glycogen in our muscles which causes tiredness and fatigue. Fast acting carbohydrates can quickly restore muscle glycogen and help maximize muscle building and minimise muscle breakdown.
On top of this it is so important that we drink enough water. Water is so important for, well... everything! From good skin and hair, to curing headaches, it is literally the answer to most problems, so drink more of it!
So for all you DOMS sufferers out there, I hope these little tips and tricks help you, because they were life changing for me when I started at the gym, and even now when I’ve done a super tricky workout! These are just a couple of suggestions, however if you have anything you'd recommend for defeating DOMS then please let me know as I’m always up for new recommendations!
I hope you guys enjoy what is left of the weekend and I will see you very soon!
Stay safe
Lots of love
Collette x