When will I stop getting DOMS from leg day?

[ukcrusader40]

@protorayish I’m wondering if you’re not really getting enough recovery time because of the soccer and running. Is the DOMS as bad with your upper body as it is with your lower? I think that will be your answer.

A certain amount of DOMS is normal, but if it’s like the first week every week, that’s a recovery problem.

Creatine is a game changer, make sure you’re getting adequate sleep. Also be sure you’re taking deload weeks.

Then if it’s still an issue m, think about which activity you would like to prioritize and modify accordingly. Maybe it’s as simple as adjusting which days you do each thing so your recovery days are sacred, or maybe you need to lower the intensity or frequency of your lower priority items. If lifting is lowest priority maybe you could do 3x a week full body. Or if running is lowest priority, maybe you keep your lifting schedule, do soccer twice a week and forego the additional running.

I follow the same lifting routine and I have to modify it during hiking season. Because I do very big hikes I’ll usually count a hike as one of my leg days. Last year I had a big hiking goal so I prioritized hiking.

This year, I’m prioritizing lifting. So I’ll mostly be doing smaller hikes when it fits into my schedule and not skipping my leg day, and only doing big hikes right before a deload week so I have adequate recovery time.

 

[ditzydollshana]

@protorayish So if your protein and other dietary needs are being met, I would look at programming and whether you’re going beyond your recovery capacity.

This looks like a solid lower body workout. Are you seeing progress as in the ability to perform higher reps/weight over time? How many sets are you doing? Do you think you can get away with doing a little less?

I personally suffer from doms five years into training and I’ve found that keeping MOST of my working sets pretty shy of failure seems to help. Also not switching up my routine as often (I’ll go 8-12 week blocks now)and progressing slowly helps. What helps most is not hammering a muscle group in a single session. For example I’ll usually only do quads for 6 sets max in a single session, same with hamstrings. I find glutes Can handle a little more volume, but that’s just me.

Your training capacity should be going up over time. But just listen to your body. If doms is bad, it might be an indicator that you’re not recovering properly. Every body is different and requires a personalized dosage.

Speaking directly to your program, I would switch one of your squat-pattern/knee-bend movements into a hinge/hip-bend movement(rdl, hip thrust,glute ham raise, 45 degree hyperextension). Or if your really want to keep a quad focused day, I would switch out a squat pattern movement for leg extensions, it will still allow you to get the same amt of quad volume but it’s less likely to cause doms since it trains the shortened position.

Good luck out there!

 

[protorayish]

@ditzydollshana I really appreciate the detail in this and the emphasis on individuality - could not agree more! To answer your questions, I do either anywhere from 2 to 4 sets per exercise (either 2 or 3 for the superset depending on how I feel, but 4 for everything else). I do this for 6-10 reps and I have been progressively overloading and increasing in my lifts. I could try dropping to 3 sets for my other exercises beyond the superset and keeping the superset to 2 - I just hope this wouldn’t impede my progress, but it may be better for long-term sustainability of my routine.

As for my program, a lot of the consensus on this thread suggests I’d benefit from switching it up. My concern had been that if I have two “all-around” leg days I’d experience DOMS after each one, rather than only after my quads day. But this may not be the case. I’ll consider switching maybe RDLs or hip thrusts to the above-listed day.

 

[believe99]

@protorayish Do you stretch and roll out the muscles you’ve worked before bed that night? I use a foam roller and it’s basically a requirement for me at this point.

 

[steephenkarar]

@believe99 if i don’t foam roll my hamstrings after lower body days, im knowingly giving up my ability to walk without soreness for the next 2-3 days

 

[kabriana]

@protorayish Anytime I increase intensity I get DOMS, I've been working out for quite a while now. I just take it as a sign I really pushed myself and my muscles are getting stronger.

Assuming you're going to a gym, do you use the rollers afterwards? I find it REALLY helps. Like I'll go into the gym with sore legs and the next morning it's mostly resolved.

 

[luch1984]

@protorayish Supplementing with creatine has helped me a lot with DOMS. I also try to make sure I get sufficient hours of sleep after a heavy lifting day. I still get them, but they're less severe and goes away quicker than before.

 

[greened67]

@protorayish A huge portion of DOMS is genetic. Studies do show that certain genes make you far more likely to have DOMS (and cramps in general) than others. I have those genes, and I take the steps in the comments here to help, but I found just backing off the workouts a bit, and doing more frequent legs but lighter load (both weight and reps), helped.

 

[eblemons103]

@protorayish You could try doing some stretches afterwards. My calves are extremely sensitive to DOMS but stretching works great to prevent that.

 

[adventurer83]

@protorayish Usually if I'm not eating enough protein for recovery I'm aching for days. It's important for proper recovery/muscle repair. But since you seem to be eating enough protein, it could also be that you're just not eating enough in general as well. You could try upping your calories a bit and see if that helps.

 

[protorayish]

@adventurer83 Thank you! My impression was that because I am gaining weight and getting stronger in my lifts, that I am eating enough. But this may not necessarily be correct. I currently use a food scale but don’t actually track the calories, which I could make the change and do, at least for a little while to see if improvements result.

 

[jazideezap]

@protorayish surprised no one has mentioned this already - how is your sleep? our body produces the hormone that repairs muscle during the deep sleep cycle. poor sleep or sleep disruptors like alcohol (even just a drink or two) can absolutely cause or worsen DOMS.

 

[protorayish]

@jazideezap This could be it - I am a very busy grad student and I’ve historically had trouble sleeping well. However, I think at the moment I check off a lot of the boxes: I get 7-9 hours per night, take melatonin to help, and have decent sleep hygiene by listening to audiobooks before bed, a cool environment, and I also don’t drink at all. But I will look into further improvements.

 

[lenetra]

@protorayish I don’t sleep well when I’m dehydrated

 

[adventurer83]

@jazideezap True. Caffeine was a major contributor for bad sleep for me.

1. More sleep
2. More food
3. More protein

Usually that fixes it.

 

[shar7]

@jazideezap Damn I didn't know that, I Need to sleeeep

 

[romans_5]

@protorayish Hydration and creatine daily, even on non active days, has done wonders for me.

 

[cmleung]

@protorayish Foam rolling really helped me, doing right after the workout. #1 is enough protein though.

 

[solascriptura66]

@protorayish Increasing the amount of protein you get helped me. Now I only get it when doing a completely different movement

 

[rustyt]

@protorayish Eat more protein. Going over 100g of protein per day fixed this problem for me. Night and day. Try upping your intake substantially a couple weeks and see what happens. For ref I'm ca 140 pounds so now I aim at 120-140g but the "pain pont" for DOMS for me seems to be at 100g