Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and You.

SIGN-UP FOR FIGHT GONE BAD.

With a 45 pound barbell, 21-15- and 9 reps for time of:
Turkish Get-ups, alternating arms
Sots press

Karen summits Longs Peak!!

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and What it Means for Your Weekly Training Schedule

Many athletes stick to an every other day schedule when they CrossFit three or four days a week.  The most classic example of this is the Monday, Wednesday, Friday attendance plan.  While this appears to be a good system in the beginning it has its downfalls.

Delayed onset muscle soreness is the friendly stiffness, fatigue and, well, sometimes downright pain, you feel in your muscles after a workout.  DOMS is a normal response to physical exertion and is part of the recovery process that adapts, strengthens, and recovers the muscles from the work the body just performed.

DOMS begins roughly 8 hours after your workout and peaks somewhere between 24-72 hours after the exercise event.  This is why you feel those 400 meters of walking lunges much worse on the second day after you did the workout.

So what does this mean for you and your training?  It means that if you workout on an every other day schedule you are always working out in the 24-72 hour peak window of DOMS.  While you might hit the workout hard it means that you are always working at a slightly decreased capacity.

So what are the options?  Perhaps try to get two workouts in back to back.  For example, Monday/Tuesday/Friday could be a good option.  Play with it and see what works for you!

In Karen's words, "the most amazing and terrifying thing I have ever done." Awesome!!
7 Responses
  1. Karen

    Thanks Chad and Molly! It was a huge mental challenge for me, but physically my body did great. The crossfit training allowed me to complete one of my “Bucket List” dreams. Very Cool!