Our trainers are always available to our clients to answer general health-related or more training-specific questions or concerns.

Ask Mike

This page offers members and visitors the opportunity to ask fitness guru Mike George's opinion about their training and health-related concerns. E-mail your question to Mike and it could be featured here.

What can I do about muscle soreness, both soon after and in the following days, that follows my strenuous weekends of running or mountain biking? --A.B. from Chicago

Training and physical activity can be a strenuous activity for the newcomer and even the seasoned athlete. Those of you that have just started your quest for overall health and physical fitness will find your body not used to the rigors of training. You could find yourself stiff and sore for a while until your body gets used to the foreign movements. Now, as you progress from level to level you will be introduced to new and exciting training techniques. These techniques will stress your body in new ways. Knowing the difference between acceptable soreness and unacceptable soreness is important in preventing unnecessary discomfort and possible injury.

Types of muscle soreness

There are two general types of exercise-related muscle soreness. The first is immediate soreness often felt while exercising or soon after exercise has stopped. I know from experience that by the time I get home, I can pinpoint the areas on my body that received the most work, as they are a little tender. By the next morning the actual soreness has subsided but the stiffness has set in. I perform some cardiovascular exercise first thing in the morning. Then a good stretch, so by the completion of my activities I have loosened up and feel ready to tackle the day with minimal soreness.

Immediate soreness maybe the result of a build-up of lactic acid in the muscle that leaks out of the muscle cells into the surrounding tissue, thereby stimulating sensitive nerve endings. Immediate soreness may also be the result of very minor muscle or connective tissue tears. None of the above is serious just a little uncomfortable.

The other type of soreness is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS, which may persist anywhere from one to three days after exercise. DOMS is relatively unnoticed during exercise or activity but rears its ugly head a day or two later. This may be due to small tears in connective tissue that hold individual fibers together as well as slight tearing of the cell membrane. If the cell membrane is torn, then an enzyme called creatine kinase (CK) leaks into the circulation, causing irritation. This type of soreness can be very painful and cause a brief hiatus in your training schedule. All of you at some time will feel the effects, it's just part of training and /or beginning some new technique.

Limiting soreness ..Immediate and DOMS

Limiting immediate soreness can be done by performing an adequate warm-up and stretching routine before and after your class or strengthening program. If you have just started a strengthening program, be sure to begin with light weights and progress gradually. For DOMS, again warm-up and stretch both before and after activity. Try to avoid all-out ballistic movements and maximal lifting in your strength program. Fortunately DOMS is usually apparent at the start of your strength program or when there are significant changes in your existing program or, after a long lay-off, so it does not last very long.

The name of the game here is to try to avoid DOMS, as it can be very painful and disruptive to your progress. Sometimes it is unavoidable, but if you use common sense and don't go crazy when you start your activity, you can definitely minimize the nasty effects. Don't listen to those who live by the adage "no pain, no gain." That was the war cry of muscle-heads that thought and maybe still think more is better. Training smart is the way to go nowadays. It's the intelligent trainer who has the edge on longevity and with fewer injuries. Training is tough enough already and we all want those results, I know I do. So make a point to listen to your trainer and your body and train smart.

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