Top Tips to Ease the Symptoms of D.O.M.S

The feeling of finishing an intense workout can be difficult to beat. After all, you either love the burn or you don’t! With this said, it is foolish to think that you can get away with something as brutal as a HIIT workout without feeling the pain of your activity later on. This is known as delayed onset muscle soreness (D.O.M.S) and it can be enough to keep any couch potato firmly attached to their sofa. Luckily, the BookitZone team are on the case! Read on as we go over a few top tips that can help you ease the symptoms of D.O.M.S…

Warm Up

There are many benefits that can be gained from warming up before a big run. After all, it helps prepare your muscles for the intensity of the exercise you are about to undertake and it increases blood flow in order to reduce the likeliness of an injury. All of these factors coupled together are said to be incredibly effective when it comes to reducing the severity of D.O.M.S symptoms because warming up helps your muscles ease into the activity.

Foam Roller

Formally known as self-myofascial release, foam rolling is a popular tool used in the fitness industry in order to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness. After all, it applies pressure to the body using bodyweight in order to help release areas of muscle tightness. It is actually thought to be an effective self-massage technique as the approach is rather similar, however, it is important to note that using a foam roller isn’t a relaxing experience. After all, it forcefully releases ‘knots’ in order to increase the blood flow to the muscles and therefore aid and speed up muscle recovery.

Hot Bath vs Ice Bath

Soaking in a hot bath can be a great way to mentally and physically unwind after an intense workout. In fact, the hot water actually dilates your blood vessels and encourages your muscles to relax which can aid in recovery and reduce the impact of D.O.M.S. On the other hand, those who are brave enough can also do the opposite and take an ice bath; this works by reducing the blood flow to the muscles and therefore reducing inflammation. With this said, studies are divided on whether this approach actually has an effect on D.O.M.S or whether it encourages a placebo effect to take place.

Delayed onset muscle soreness is a condition that usually affects people who are new to exercise or have carried out an incredibly intense workout. In fact, it is usually felt 24-72 hours after a workout and this means that most people will feel stiff after they get out of bed on a morning. Thankfully, following our top tips before D.O.M.S sets in can help relieve the severity of the symptoms. Here at BookitZone, we have a wide range of running events that vary in intensity and being prepare for delayed onset muscle soreness can make a real difference. Get in contact with a member of the team to find out more information today!