How to get rid of DOMS faster — a guide to recovery
WHAT IS DELAYED ONSET MUSCLE SORENESS (DOMS)?
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the stiff, sore feeling in your muscles after exercise. You’ll usually start feeling it 12 to 24 hours after a session. DOMS is nothing to worry about, and it usually eases within a few days.
It’s a natural response to working out. When you exercise, it causes tiny tears in the muscle. And it’s actually the process of healing those small tears that makes the muscles stronger or more resistant. DOMS is simply a natural part of that process.
How to get rid of DOMS faster
Don’t stop moving: It’s tempting to avoid movement when everything hurts, but light movement is one of the best ways to ease post-workout muscle soreness. That’s because it increases blood flow to the sore muscles. Keep it gentle though — a walk, cycle, or some mobility work is great, but going straight back to lifting heavy weights could make things worse.
Sleep well: Most of your tissue repair happens while you sleep, so make sure you give your body the rest it needs. At Recovery Cave, we are constantly stressing the importance of good sleep to our clients — it’ll help you get more from your fitness journey and the recovery treatments we offer.
Stay hydrated: Studies show that staying properly hydrated leads to faster recovery from strenuous exercise, with less muscle soreness and inflammation. Good hydration also makes you less likely to get injured during exercise.
Eat enough: Eating foods rich in carbs and protein supports muscle repair. Fuelling your body after a workout is essential, even if weight loss is your goal.
Massage: Massage has reasonable evidence behind it for easing DOMS, both for reducing soreness and helping muscles feel less tight afterwards. Office workers who use our sports massage machines in between training and work report less stiffness the following day.
Compression Therapy: Pneumatic compression kits (like our Normatec boots and arm sleeves) can reduce soreness and get rid of that heavy, tired feeling in your legs post-workout. In clinic, we find this treatment to be particularly popular with runners as it allows them to get back onto the road faster during intense training blocks.
Red Light Therapy: While Red Light Therapy (also known as photobiomodulation and RLT), is still an emerging area, early studies suggest that it can support muscle recovery and reduce soreness when used after exercise. It’s important to know that RLT shouldn’t be used as a one-off — the benefits build up over time, so regular exposure is recommended.
Heat: Applying heat can make sore, stiff muscles feel more comfortable. A hot bath, sauna session, or even a Red Light Therapy treatment can help with this. Recovery Cave’s Red Light Therapy panel uses both visible red light and near-infrared light — the infrared light provides a gentle warming sensation in addition to expected RLT benefits.
WILL I GET DOMS AFTER EVERY WORKOUT?
Probably not. You’re most likely to get DOMS when you:
Start a new type of exercise that your body isn’t used to
Train harder than usual — for example training to failure if you’re not used to doing so on a regular basis
Train movements where the muscle lengthens under load, such as running downhill or lowering weights
Once your body adapts to the type of exercise you’re doing, you shouldn’t get DOMS quite as often. If you do, implementing the recovery tips in this article will keep DOMS to a minimum, and help speed up your body’s recovery process when it does happen.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE DOMS OR AN INJURY?
DOMS is soreness that appears a day or two after training and settles within a few days. For most people it feels achy rather than sharp, and is mainly felt when moving the muscles that you trained. It tends to be worse when you've done something your body isn't used to, and episodes usually get less intense as that exercise becomes familiar.
Everyone experiences things differently, and if your muscle soreness isn’t exactly like this, it’s not automatically something to worry about.
However, if you’re experiencing:
Sharp or sudden pain during exercise
Pain in the joints and not the muscles
Swelling or bruising
Pain that hasn't improved after 5-7 days
It might be worth checking over with a physiotherapist or GP.
Why is DOMS worse on day two?
Because post-workout soreness is caused by the muscle repair process, and not the workout itself. That process takes place in the days after training as your body heals and gets stronger.
How long does DOMS last?
For most people, DOMS lasts 2-5 days, but recovery may take longer after particularly hard workouts or sudden exposure to new types of movement (we often support customers feeling particular sore after trying new activities like Skiing and Surfing on holiday).
You might also experience DOMS for longer after training larger muscle groups like the quads, hamstrings and glutes. That’s because they take on more load when running, squatting and lunging.
How CAN I prevent DOMS?
By avoiding challenging workouts — but that’s probably not the answer you were looking for!
DOMS is a normal and expected part of most people’s fitness journeys. However, you can reduce it by:
Building up gradually to new or difficult challenges
Practicing good sleep and nutrition habits
Implementing recovery treatments as part of your regular routine
Warming up properly (especially during winter) and cooling down properly after your session
These habits will also help you prevent injury and improve your sports performance.
Is it OK to work out with DOMS?
Yes, but it’s best not to the overload the same sore muscles before they've recovered. If you’re doing weight training, targeting a different muscle group is generally considered to be fine. And easy physical activity like walking is one of the best ways to speed up DOMS recovery.