Tips For Getting Through Severe Soreness

Sore muscles
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (or DOMS) is a normal part of working out that happens when you haven’t used a certain muscle in a while or push yourself harder than usual. It usually hits about 24 – 72 hours after your workout and it can range from being mildly unpleasant to so painful you can barely sit down on the toilet. If you’re suffering from a bad case of DOMS right now, here are some tips to help you get through.

Be Prepared to Wait

The truth is that most of the DOMS tips out there like taking Epsom salt baths or icing your muscles may provide some temporary relief, but they aren’t actually going to make your DOMS go away any faster. Nothing is going to end your DOMS other than time, so just be prepared for it to take between 1 and 5 days until your DOMS is gone all the way.

Don’t Push Yourself

If you’re used to a workout regimen that has you in the gym multiple times a week, you might find yourself in the situation in which you have DOMS but are supposed to work out those same muscles again. Pro tip: don’t do it. It’s only going to make the DOMS worse. Your muscles need time to properly recover before you put them through the wringer once more.

Walk Around

That being said, being totally sedentary isn’t going to help either. Getting your blood flowing can help your DOMS hurt a lot less, so at least try to get up and walk around a little bit every so often while you’re recovering.