No that's not intended to insult anyone's IQ, but it is a very good mechanism our bodies use to teach us about recovery. Many times you'll hear people say they go to the gym everyday and work through the burn. They believe that by pushing through the pain the muscles are growing more. That is very far from the truth and actually detrimental to your training.
Think about this for a moment. If you have a toothache, do you continue to chew on that tooth? Of course not because not only is it painful, it also damages the tooth and gums more. So you go to the dentist, have it sorted and let it heal up. The very same is true for the skeletal muscles of our bodies.
Now D.O.M.S stands for delayed onset of muscle soreness which basically means that if you've trained with intensity and dug deep into your muscles to force them to breakdown then very often the next day people will experience that soreness or stiffness of the muscles. That is your body reminding you that you have exerted much force and pushed beyond your capacity and need to rest so that your muscles can overcompensate.
So next time you have an awesome training session and if you're following the routines and principles on this blog then that should be every time you set foot in the gym, remember D.O.M.S. If you're sore even after two days, don't worry, you will not lose muscle mass by waiting an extra day. In fact it is working in your favor as your muscles are overcompensating or growing bigger and stronger.
Train hard, eat smart and listen to your body. All the best.
