FEATURE ARTICLE
ATTENUATING DELAYED ONSET MUSCLE SORENESS
IN UNTRAINED INDIVIDUALS
MICHAEL RANDONE, MS, CSCS
P
ersonal trainers and other strength and conditioning
professionals have most likely encountered a situation
where a client experiences muscle soreness following
exercise. A personal trainer may possess a large percentage of
clientele consisting of unhealthy and inactive individuals who
would like to become healthier through exercise. With untrained
individuals, muscle soreness can be experienced frequently and
more severely with the initiation of an exercise program. This
type of soreness is referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness
(DOMS), which consists of physical pain or discomfort that can
occur as soon as 24 hours after exercise, usually lasts 2 – 3 days,
and can take as long as 8 – 10 days to fully subside (4).
Approximately 22 percent of the population participates in regular
sustained physical activity (3). This low percentage suggests
that a large portion of the population will experience this type of
soreness upon becoming active; therefore, it is necessary for the
strength and conditioning professional to be able to successfully
minimize or avoid DOMS. In fact, client retention could be greatly
impacted by an exercise professional’s ability to reduce client
soreness following exercise. Understanding various methods
can give these professionals an edge in dealing with hesitant
participants. A number of factors must be considered when
deciding on a treatment for DOMS: the methods that are currently
available, the accessibility of those methods, and the feasibility of
their use. The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast
popular methods used to reduce soreness that are feasible for
most clients.
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CAFFEINE
Performance benefits demonstrated with caffeine ingestion
may lead one to believe that muscle damage after exercise may
be more profound with caffeine supplementation. It has been
shown that despite caffeine ingestion increasing maximal heart
rate, oxygen uptake, and time to exhaustion, cellular oxidative
damage remained unaltered (11). This implies that taking caffeine
as an ergogenic aid should not exacerbate soreness. Additionally,
caffeine ingestion may have beneficial effects such as improved
performance while not compromising workouts performed
on consecutive days. Most studies have utilized 5 mg/kg of
bodyweight, which is approximately the equivalent of two cups
of coffee (6,10).
The timing, however, may be the major determinant of caffeine’s
effectiveness on successfully attenuating soreness. When the
relative dosage is consumed over long periods, it may not have
the same level of impact (10). Most successful interventions have
participants consuming their entire dosage prior to exercise (6,9).
Caffeine has also been shown to reduce DOMS after both upper
body and lower body resistance exercise effectively (6,9). This
research also shows that in addition to lower ratings of exertion
during exercise, caffeine can also reduce recovery time (5).
Therefore, caffeine could be a viable option for the strength and
conditioning professional to prescribe to individuals prior
to exercise.
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CRYOTHERAPY
Cold water immersion, or whole body cryotherapy, has commonly
been used by collegiate athletes to help aid recovery for
consecutive exercise sessions. Only recently has this modality
become more commonly used by recreational exercisers as
well. There seems to be some contradicting evidence on the
effectiveness of cryotherapy. The duration is a major contributing
factor to cryotherapy’s effectiveness or ineffectiveness. Short
immersions of 1 – 3 min may not have a profound effect, whereas
research that utilizes immersions for 3 min, with a 10-min postrecovery resting period, has shown benefits (14,17). Longer bouts
of 10 min may be more beneficial in attenuating muscle soreness
(1,13,20). Although the evidence appears to support sustained
immersion, intermittent immersion between 6 – 18 min, with 1-min
intervals has been shown to be beneficial, with no dose response
relationship (21). Although the research suggests a benefit to
cryotherapy, an individual’s tolerance to cold and possible risks
for individuals with peripheral vascular issues should be discussed
prior to implementation.
BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO ACIDS
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) have been widely taken by
exercise enthusiasts and prescribed by nutrition experts. Although
the research has not been definitive, most studies demonstrate
positive outcomes. Claims of increasing muscle protein synthesis
and helping to prevent muscle breakdown have been associated
with BCAA supplementation (16). Studies have shown that taking
a dosage before and after exercise may have a greater impact
on attenuating soreness (15,18). However, if supplementation
immediately after exercise is the only option, there may be a slight
reduction of soreness (22). In another study, similar results were
shown when taking a leucine and carbohydrate supplemental
beverage after anaerobic exercise (19). BCAAs can be easily
implemented into an individual’s diet, which may make them a
viable option to help attenuate DOMS.
is imperative. Having the ability and knowledge to implement
a specific protocol to reduce a client’s soreness may greatly
reduce the number of clients deciding to cease exercise due to
DOMS. Soreness can also negatively affect a client’s workout
performance and session frequency, either of which could
ultimately lead to goals not being attained. This knowledge and
ability can affect a personal trainer’s business by increasing
client retention and satisfaction.
CONCLUSION
Attenuating DOMS can have a substantial impact on a personal
trainer’s business and overall client satisfaction. For successful
reduction in soreness, an understanding of the methodology
of a preferred method is essential. Caffeine ingestion may be
effective with the consumption of 5 mg/kg of bodyweight
before and/or after exercise. Despite the contradiction in the
research for cryotherapy, it appears that immersion of 10 or more
minutes or 6 – 18 min of intermittent submersion are the most
successful protocols for reducing DOMS. In regards to BCAA
supplementation, there appears to be benefits for ingesting
BCAAs before and after exercise. Whether used prior to resistance
exercise or during active rest between sets, aerobic exercise
also appears to be a viable method to decrease DOMS. Personal
trainers should have a conversation with each client to determine
which method, if any, would work best for them.
AEROBIC EXERCISE
Out of the aforementioned methods, aerobic exercise may be the
easiest method to implement for the strength and conditioning
professional. Aerobic exercise is a vital part of most workout
regimens. Moreover, aerobic exercise done prior to, rather than
after, resistance exercise appears to be more beneficial (2,8,12).
Performing cardio prior to exercise could be effective when
performed as one continuous exercise that lasts for 10 – 20 min
(8,12). Another option is to incorporate an “active rest” between
resistance exercise sets. This is done by completing each set of
resistance exercise immediately followed by a short duration of
cardiovascular exercise. One study using this method was able to
eliminate DOMS by the fourth week of training completely (7).
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Experiencing DOMS may come as a surprise to most inactive
individuals, and it may even cause them to question their
motivation. This effect on motivation may even lead to an
individual preferring to remain inactive, and thus, negatively
affecting a personal trainer’s business. For personal trainers,
having the ability to reduce a client’s muscle soreness effectively
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ATTENUATING DELAYED ONSET MUSCLE SORENESS
IN UNTRAINED INDIVIDUALS
REFERENCES
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8. Law, R, and Herbert, R. Warm-up reduces delayed onset
muscle soreness but cool-down does not: A randomised trial.
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Caffeine attenuates delayed-onset muscle pain and force loss
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12. Olsen, O, Sjøhaug, M, Van Beekvelt, M, and Mork, PJ. The
effect of warm-up and cool-down exercise on delayed onset
muscle soreness in the quadriceps muscle: A randomized
controlled trial. Journal of Human Kinetics 35: 59-68, 2012.
13. Paddon-Jones, D, and Quigley, B. Effect of cryotherapy
on muscle soreness and strength following eccentric exercise.
International Journal of Sports Medicine 18(8): 588-590, 1997.
15. Ra, S, Miyazaki, T, Ishikura, K, Nagayama, H, Kommine, S,
Nakata, Y, et al. Combined effect of branched-chain amino acids
and taurine supplementation on delayed onset musccle soreness
and muscle damage in high-intensity eccentric exercise. Journal of
the International Society of Sports Nutrition 10: 51, 2013.
16. Romotsky, S, and Bonci, L. The importance of protein for
athletes. NSCA Coach 2(1): 26-31, 2015.
17. Sellwood, KL, Brukner, P, Willliams, D, Nicol, A, and Hinman,
R. Ice-water immersion and delayed-onset muscle soreness: A
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41(6): 392-397, 2007.
18. Shimomura, Y, Inaguma, A, Watanabe, S, Yamamoto, Y,
Muramatsu, Y, Bajotto, G, et al. Branched-chain amino acid
supplementation before squat exercise and delayed-onset muscle
soreness. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise
Metabolism 20(3): 236-244, 2010.
19. Stock, MS, Young, JC, Golding, LA, Kruskall, LJ, Tandy, RD,
Conway-Klaassen, JM, et al. The effects of adding leucine to
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20. Vaile, JM, Gill, ND, and Blazevich, AJ. The effect of contrast
water therapy on symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Randone owns a personal training company in Omaha,
NE called Randone Wellness, LLC. He has nearly a decade of
personal training experience through multiple organizations.
Randone has earned several accreditations such as the Certified
Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) certification through
the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He
earned a Master’s degree in Exercise Science from the University
of Nebraska-Omaha. While attending graduate school, Randone
earned a grant to conduct research on lactate mechanics in
addition to an academic scholarship.
14. Pournot, H, Bieuzen, F, Louis, J, Fillard, JR, Barbiche, E, and
Hausswirth, C. Time-course of changes in inflammatory response
after whole-body cryotherapy multi exposures following severe
exercise. PLoS One 6(7): e22748, 2011.
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TABLE 1. REFERENCE TABLE
METHOD
Caffeine
Cryotherapy
BCAA
Aerobic
PARTICIPANT
TIMING
DOSAGE
RESULT
RESOURCE
F/LC
24 and 48 hr post
5 mg/kg
↓
Maridakis (2007)
M/LC
1 hr prior
5 mg/kg
↓
Hurley (2013)
R
15-min emersion
8 – 10ºC
↓
Vaile (2007)
T
3-min emersion
-10/-60/-110ºC
↓
Pournot (2011)
M
2 weeks pre; 3
days post; 3x day
3.2g BCAA
↓
Ra (2013)
↔
Watanabe (2007)
2g Taurine
F
After anaerobic
exercise
5.5 g BCAA
M+F
20 min
60 – 70% HRmax
Pre
Olsen (2012)
M+F
10 min
4.5 – 5 kph; 3º
Pre
Law (2007)
M=male participants; F=female participants; R=recreationally trained; T=trained individuals; LC=low caffeine consumers; ↓=Demonstrated
a significant decrease in DOMS; ↔=Demonstrated no significant reduction in DOMS
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