why does it take >24 hours to “feel” a hard workout?
In: Biology
Micro tears in your muscle fibers is definitely the best explanation for soreness. Lactic acid is what causes the burning feeling when your muscles just can’t take anymore during a workout. To answer your question of why it can be delayed like DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) which someone has already mentioned I don’t know why it’s so delayed. I do know that it’s more delayed for those who haven’t exercised those muscles in a long time. Perhaps the inflammatory process is responsible for it though
Kinesiologist here, while you may hear lactic acid as the cause, and even my sisters biology professor didn’t know but agreed with her, the actual cause is micro tears in your Z bands in your muscles. The reason for 24ish hours is not well known although I haven’t been in school in 5 years or so. But personally for me, my legs seem to take the longest to feel sore while sometimes I feel soreness within a few hours. I personally also notice if I workout regularly, sleep and eat good, soreness is never really a problem. Good recovery will limit soreness which is why steroids are also a giant advantage in athletes, among other reasons. Also to add on, this doesn’t mean you can’t get latic acid poisoning but it’s rare in humans and can be deadly.
[removed]
It’s called DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness. People often reach peak soreness the day after a workout, or even the day after that. We aren’t entirely sure about the specifics what drives muscle soreness. People historically said “something something lactic acid something”, but that’s probably not what is really doing on. Eccentric exercise seems to cause more soreness than concentric.
Latest Answers