What is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)?

DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is the muscle soreness and stiffness that develops after exercise, especially when you've done a new activity, increased your training volume, or performed a lot of eccentric (muscle-lengthening) contractions (like lowering a squat, downhill running, or lowering a dumbbell during a bicep curl).

Unlike the burning sensation you feel during exercise (which is related to metabolite buildup), DOMS develops hours later.

What causes DOMS?

Researchers believe DOMS is caused by a combination of:

• Microscopic muscle damage (especially from eccentric exercise)

• Inflammation as your body begins the repair process

• Increased sensitivity of pain receptors within the muscle and surrounding connective tissue

• Temporary swelling that can increase pressure inside the muscle

  
  

It's important to note that DOMS is not caused by lactic acid. Lactic acid is cleared from your muscles within about an hour after exercise.

Why do some people get sore after 24 hours while others don't feel it until 72 hours?

The timing of DOMS varies because several factors influence how quickly the inflammatory and repair processes occur.

1. The type of exercise matters

• Heavy eccentric training often produces soreness that peaks around 24–48 hours.

• Activities with prolonged eccentric loading, like a long downhill hike or marathon, may continue to trigger inflammation, making soreness peak closer to 48–72 hours.

  
  

2. Training history

People who regularly perform a movement develop what's called the "repeated bout effect." Their muscles adapt, resulting in:

• Less muscle damage

• Less inflammation

• Faster recovery

• Less soreness overall

  
  

Someone trying a new workout is more likely to experience delayed and more intense soreness.

3. Individual biology

Everyone's inflammatory response is a little different. Factors include:

• Genetics

• Age

• Sleep quality

• Nutrition

• Hydration

• Stress levels

• Recovery habits

  
  

These can all influence when soreness appears and how severe it feels.

4. How much damage occurred

A workout that creates only mild muscle stress may produce soreness by the next morning. A more demanding workout may trigger a longer inflammatory response, so soreness doesn't peak until 2–3 days later.

A typical DOMS timeline

Time after exercise	What you may notice
0–6 hours	Usually little or no soreness
12–24 hours	Soreness begins
24–48 hours	Most people reach peak soreness
48–72 hours	Some people experience their peak here, especially after unfamiliar or prolonged exercise
3–7 days	Symptoms gradually resolve

Is more soreness a sign of a better workout?

Not necessarily.

DOMS is a sign that your body was exposed to a stimulus it wasn't fully adapted to—not that you had a more effective workout. You can make excellent strength and fitness gains with little or no soreness once your body has adapted.

In fact, if you're consistently so sore that it limits your next workout, your training load or recovery strategy may need adjustment.

How can you reduce DOMS?

Research suggests the most effective strategies include:

• Gradually increasing training volume and intensity

• Staying active with light movement (walking, cycling, easy mobility work)

• Prioritizing adequate sleep

• Eating enough protein (roughly 1.2–2.0 g/kg/day for active individuals)

• Staying hydrated

  
  

Massage and compression garments may provide modest relief for some people. Stretching before or after exercise has not consistently been shown to prevent DOMS.

The bottom line

DOMS is a normal response to unaccustomed or challenging exercise and typically appears 12–24 hours after a workout, peaking anywhere from 24 to 72 hours. The exact timing depends on the type of exercise, how accustomed your body is to it, the amount of muscle stress involved, and individual differences in recovery and inflammation. Feeling sore later than someone else doesn't necessarily mean you trained harder or recovered more slowly—it's simply one of many normal variations in how the body responds to exercise.

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