Why do you get sore after not working out for a while, but then the next time training you don’t get sore?

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The muscle damage is the same, so wouldn’t the DOMS be the same?

In: Biology

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

So, this is a matter of the how’s and why’s of muscle soreness…

To start, when our muscles do anything they burn energy. This energy is usually made through breaking down sugars through the cellular respiration cycle. In short- sugar goes in, broken up through a three stage process and out pops ATP( the energy of our body). At rest, this molecule builds up and all is well.

However- side note- this 3 step process requires oxygen to run properly.

During work outs, we burn through stored ATP in our muscles pretty quick..mwe also start running low on free oxygen through the body.

This switches over the long, 3 step cellular respiration process that requires oxygen to a faster 2-step process called the lactic acid cycle that doesn’t require oxygen. This cycle (as the name suggests) produces lactic acid. It’s the build up of lactic acid in muscles that produce soreness

When we break for a day, we let the body process and get rid of lactic acid, the next time we work out, our body is just ever so slightly better at staving off the lactic acid cycle, and even processing lactic acid.

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