Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

We've all done it.  We hit the gym hard after a layoff and find out the next day that we can't handle the weight or volume that we used to without building back up to it.  I know I personally experience Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) whenever I do high rep squat work.  By the next day my legs are on fire!

In the article "Dealing With DOMS" from www.elitefts.net, several different strategies are covered, both to avoid DOMS in the first place and to deal with it when you get it.  My favorite recommendation is to keep moving.  Too often when we are sore we do nothing that day, but the fact is that movement pumps nutrient rich blood into sore muscles, aiding and speeding recovery and eliminating soreness.

The next time you kill yourself in the gym, rather than taking the next day off due to soreness try a light workout, a run, a swim, or a body weight circuit of some kind that works your muscles through a full range of motion.  It's better than pain meds, and will get you back to the gym faster.

What I did today...

Warm Ups:

- Dynamic Mobility Drills

- Jump Rope

- Samson Stretch

- Thrusters:  55x6, 145x4, 235x2

Strength Work:

Front Squats (75%, 85%, and 95% of 340):

- 255x1

- 290x1

- 323x2

Shoulder Press (75%, 85%, and 95% of 215):

- 165x1

- 185x1

- 205x3

* I did 60 reps of jump rope single-unders in between each set of thrusters, squats, and presses.*

Push Presses:

30 Reps@ 215: 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, and 2.  That was much harder than I thought it was going to be.

*I did 5 GHD sit ups in between each set of push presses*

Conditioning:

As Many Rounds as Possible in 10:00 of:

- 5 Pull Ups

- 10 Push Ups

- 15 Air Squats

Score:  I completed 11 rounds + 4 pull ups.  I was hoping to get 12-13 rounds but all my overhead work before thrashed my shoulders.