delayed onset muscle soreness

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

wondering if anyone has any insight into this post WLS?

i get so sore several days after i exercise... 2, 3, sometimes even 4 days later... it's really making me miserable and curtailing my desire to workout. i have just pushed thought the soreness and gone and worked out again, but then i am doubly miserable later on.

i have talked to my chiro, a good friend who a very experienced trainer and done research online, but i have not found any revelations about why this might be... i eat my Protein, drink my Water, take extra magnesium and glutamine... i warm up, stretch, follow all the suggestions.

there have been some concerns in the past i might have fibromyalgia, but my "C reactive protein" markers in my blood were back down to normal before the surgery... maybe i need to have another blood test?

anyone know anything about this being specific to WLS? or maybe this is just me and not connected at all.

[RJ'S/beginning 5,357]

Nope it isn't...but remember for a while you were not exercising those muscles and even though they remember that you had muscles.They need to be worked and strengthened again. Not in pain but sore is good. My trainer always says he has done his job if I am sore equally on all areas worked....He is a masochist!

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

yeah, there is a diff between building muscle soreness and DOMS. and i did do yoga and walk/hike before surgery... not anywhere near what i attempt to do now, but i wasnt totally sedentary.

[RJ'S/beginning 5,357]

It takes weeks to build muscle and only days to have them go back to the state they were in...Your muscles remember how much you carried and how strong they are. They are going to work you harder then people who have always been thin...But the cool thing is we build muscle faster because of all the weight we carried....That is what my trainer said..And I believe him..lol

[PdxMan 4,292]

From my research, I have learned about lactic acidosis. Lactic acid builds up in the muscles when we exert ourselves through strenuous exercise and can cause you to feel muscle soreness. Proper stretching post exercise can help to move the acid out of the muscles, but from what I understand, it takes a combination of a few things.

First off is proper hydration. If you are not peeing clear, you are not hydrating enough. This is critical in relieving yourself of the acid.

Proper stretching post exercise helps the circulation which again, removes the acid from your system. Stretching should be dynamic pre-exercise, not static and a combination post. If you are not familiar with the difference, Google it.

Keep moving afterward to continue healthy circulation. Some folks will rigorously exercise and then go sit on the couch. Have ever ever done this and noticed how difficult it is to get up after? Yup, acidosis.

Exercise again soon after. This is going to not only help with the circulation, but also trains your body better in the production and removal of the lactic acid. Exercising once or twice a week is going to keep yourself in a chronic state of slowly removing the acids. Keep trying to find opportunities to exercise throughout the week. You should only be taking 1 to 2 days off per week.

Massage ... goes back to the whole circulation thing. Not only will this physically push the lactic acid out of the body, but aids your circulation in it's removal, too. You can do this yourself with some of the foam rollers or the myriad of other devices out there.

Good luck and just keep moving!

Edited May 19, 2014 by PdxMan

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

pdx, check this interesting article i found. dr mercola can be a nutloaf, but i still found this interesting.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/sore-muscles_b_3398611.html

[PdxMan 4,292]

From my own personal experience, I agree with a lot of what is in the article. However, I do not agree the DOM is solely caused by micro-tears. Again, this is just from my personal experience.

My first 6 months post op were mainly spent jogging, then running. I would also cross train on the bicycle and HIIT classes. Even after 3 or 4 months, I would still experience DOM if I did not recover properly and did not exercise the following day. The level of exercising and having been doing it for several months, yet still having these symptoms, doesn't lend itself to the theory that I was incurring micro-tears to the levels which would cause DOM, IMO. Now, when I hit the weight room, lifting heavy weights, then, yes. I know I was experiencing micro-tears as, well ... that is the point of lifting heavy. It is the repair where the build occurs. But if you notice a runner's body, they are not going to be up on display posing any time soon.

So, I think you need to ascertain for yourself the root cause and solution as you are the only one who knows the level of activity you are currently at. If you are lifting heavy, then you may want to dial it back a bit until your recovery efforts match your level of effort. Yes, after only a week of Zumba, you are going to have micro-tears, but after a few months, you should be past that. If you are still having DOM, then take a look at the other solutions I posted.

The bottom line is we all have to figure out what works for us. For me, it was hydrating like crazy (peeing clear), focusing on recovering and proper stretching. I exercised at least 6 times a week to varying degrees. Sure, I had some issues with DOM, but I knew how to work through them.

[aroundhky 1,174]

I try to implement some "active recovery" to help move out the lactic AND still get a bit of a workout in.

Ex: If I do heavy/intense squats on Monday, on Thursday I'll try to go a little less on the intensity scale and also go lighter.

Monday: 5 sets of 4-6 reps to failure with usually a weight of around 415-425 or so. Along with other supporting/auxiliary lifts like lunges, straight leg deadlifts or extensions also going very heavy.

Thursday: 3 sets of 6-8 reps but not quite to failure. On Thursdays, my legs are still usually sore from Monday's workout, but I'm able to get some movement and a light workout in to help push Monday's recovery along.

Then come Monday, I'm ready for a heavy and intense lower body workout again.

One thing I've noticed over the years, the time to recover takes a little longer than it did when I was in my 20's. So I think age is a big factor as well.

Edited May 19, 2014 by aroundhky

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

i increased my magnesium today, and i did a dance class this afternoon... i am feeling much better.

**mumbles about fibromyalgia, but refuses to discuss it**

[betty_s 476]

I've always been most sore 2-3 days after a good workout.. Pre and post op.

I find the best way to cut down on it is I sit in the sauna at my gym for about 15-20 mins directly after my workout, while drinking my Protein shake.

Stretching in the shower helps too. DOMS is completely normal.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

A supplement that helps with DOMS is called beta-alanine. It reduces muscle inflammation as an anti-oxidant and buffers against high levels of lactic acid after that heavy lifting or HIIT session. It is best to take beta-alanine directly instead of carnosine (an aggregate of beta-alanine and histinine) because carnosine must be broken down into its parts during digestion and loss of beta-alanine will occur. Beta-alanine takes 3-4 weeks to build up to where it is useful to prevent DOMS and also boost athletic performance; specifically anaerobic high Intensity interval training activity. Jump higher, sprint faster, lift heavier and most importantly, avoid DOMS. It is very cheap and can be found at most Vitamin stores or online at Amazon. For reference, I order mine from NOW and am still working through the same container I bought last year. One container lasts a very long time. I never get DOMS since using this supplement a year ago, even when doing some very heavy lifting or pushing myself through cross fit bursts of exercise. I find myself able to exercise (functional cardio and lifting or isolation lifting) 6-7 days a week. It it good to cycle beta-alanine, like any supplement, after 3 months or so to prevent tolerance. This is one of the few supplements that actually works well for most people (creatine is another).

[CBT 450]

Thanks for posting. This has been a good read

[aroundhky 1,174]

Ran across the article recently and it made me rethink it all a little, so I'm not real sure what to think or if it's legit or not. It's under "Women's Health" but I think the science behind it applies to men as well. Seems that regardless of how, when or why we get the soreness, it's still a good thing and lets us know we hit our targeted muscles during our exercise, or maybe in some cases, unintended muscles as well.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/delayed-onset-muscle-soreness