Welcome back to Get Fit Guy.

I'm your host, Dr. Jonathan Sue.

Every week, I'll share science-backed tips to help you get fit, stay fit, and optimize performance.

Ever felt super sore the day after running, hiking, or throwing up some weights at the gym?

You're not alone. In fact, it's common to feel stiffness and soreness begin to set in hours

after strenuous or unaccustomed activity that can last for up to three days.

Popularly known as delayed onset muscle soreness, it's caused by movements where muscles

lengthen under tension called eccentric contractions, such as downhill running, walking

downstairs, slowly lowering weights, and pliometric exercises.

Luckily, there are techniques to prevent and relieve post-exercise soreness that are well

established by science. What may surprise most people is accumulating research suggesting

that muscles may not be the source of this common post-workout phenomenon.

In this episode, we'll look at what new research says may be the true source of post-workout

soreness, and we'll also look at science-backed ways for preventing and relieving it.

As the name implies, most theories attempting to explain doms attribute the symptoms to muscles.

However, these theories have not been able to adequately link post-workout soreness to the muscles.

For example, one of the oldest theories focuses on the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles

during exercise as the source of post-workout soreness.

It's true that soreness can be a result of lactic acid build-up when muscles fatigue

during intense exercise.

The problem with this theory is that lactic acid levels quickly

return to normal after physical activity is stopped, whereas post-workout soreness occurs with a delay

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