Muscle soreness, or lack thereof

[akizora]

Hi Catheites,
Now, who can answer this question for me. I just looove that soreness in your muscles the day after a hard workout--I'm sure all of you do--because it feels good and because it makes you know you pushed yourself and made some progress. The problem is, I rarely have that feeling anymore. I have to put a DVD on the shelf for a good 4 weeks, and then I feel some burn when I do it. I started going to Yoga class (BTW--love it and can't believe I waited this long!) and next day, the burn in my core was pretty intense (but in a good way). After the 2nd class--nothing at all. I simply can't believe my muscles have gotten used to yoga THAT quick. So why oh why does this happen so fast? And, if you're not feeling it in your muscles, does that mean you're not benefitting in terms of strength training?
Amy:+

 

[kathryn]

If you do a search on DOMS, we've had a couple of recent discussions about this same question.

> And, if you're not feeling it in
>your muscles, does that mean you're not benefitting in terms
>of strength training?

In a nutshell, no. If you are working to the point that the last 2-3 reps of a set are difficult to do, and you couldn't do another rep with good form, you are getting the best workout you can, DOMS or no. And if you are able to increase weights at a regular rate (every few workouts) and are seeing muscle gains, that should be your best indication of whether what you are doing is working.

Also, individuals vary in how their bodies deal with things like lactic acid build-up (I saw a program featuring Lance Armstrong, and they stated that his metabolism is such that he can more effectively and quickly clear lactic acid from his muscles than most people, and he also recovers faster.)

My goal is actually to workout hard and not have much DOMS, because that would be a sign that my body is repairing/recovering quickly, which can be promoted through certain wholefood supplements like maca or chlorella, a high-antioxidant/alkaliine-forming diet, and plenty of raw foods, for example. At least, that's my current theory.;-)

I will admit, though, that a nasty case of glute DOMS can be a great feeling!(On the other hand, one strength athlete I have chatted with once said too much DOMS can mean you've been neglecting that particular muscle group in some way---and he's huge, so I won't argue with him!)