DOMS: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

DOMS - Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. What we dread after working out and what causes many people to give up working out altogether.

Causes of DOMS

1. Eccentric muscle contractions or "negatives." For example, when you perform a biceps curl and curl the weight up, that is a concentric muscle contraction.... the muscle shortens. When you lower the weight slowly, the biceps is contracting, but it is lengthening while it contracts. When you perform lots of slow, lengthening contractions, this can cause significant post-workout soreness.

2. A brand new workout. When you perform new movments, this is stressful to the body. It is not that you are using muscles you never used, it is that you are using them in a different way. This can cause soreness.

3. Dehydration. Muscles do not like when the body is dehydrated, so drink. Use a scale before and after to learn how much you need to replace. If you happen to gain weight after working out from drinking, then back off the fluid (this is called hyponatremia - for more click here.

4. Reactive Oxygen Species. In other words the increase of free radicals is related to DOMS. What to do - LifePak or LifePak Nano!

5. Neurology. Yes, this soreness can "spread" to adjacent muscle groups via the central nervous system. That is why recovery is so important. If your movement patterns are off, then this type of soreness is much more likely to occur. Get a Functional Movement Screen!

So, why is the title of this article Overdrive? Because Overdrive is the name of the best supplement I have come across in all my years of training to combat DOMS. I have always used a recovery supplement of some type and have experimented with dozens over the years. Overdrive has been a HUGE help to me during my recovery and allowed me to get back to where I am (and their is certainly more to come).