Did my first real lower body session on Monday, squats and lunges and some hamstring work, nothing heavy but a lot more than I'm used to. Tuesday I was fine, Wednesday I could barely sit down on a chair, and it's now Friday and stairs are still a negotiation. Nothing is swollen and it's an all-over ache rather than a specific spot. Is four days normal or did I do something stupid?
One thing to take seriously rather than shrug off: if the soreness gets dramatically worse instead of better, a limb swells noticeably, or your urine goes dark like tea, that's a same-day call to a doctor rather than a gym question. It's rare and it's much more likely after an extreme first session, but it's the one situation where normal soreness advice does not apply.
None of those, thankfully, just an ordinary ache. Good to know what the line is though.
Lunges specifically are the culprit, if I had to guess. Anything with a big lengthening component under load gives far more soreness than the same effort in a squat, and if you did those for the first time with any volume at all, four days is unsurprising.
Walking down stairs being worse than up is the giveaway. That's the same muscle action that made you sore.
Also, soreness isn't a scoreboard. It mostly reflects how new the movement was, not how good the session was. Some of my best training blocks have left me barely sore at all, and I spent my first year chasing the feeling instead of the progress.
Next session, cut the volume of anything new roughly in half compared to what feels reasonable on the day. Enthusiasm on day one is what produces day four, and you'll make faster progress over a month by turning up three times slightly under-cooked than by turning up once and hobbling.
@deload_dom · 2w ago · 3 replies
Normal, and the timing you describe is textbook. Delayed onset soreness usually starts 12 to 24 hours after, peaks somewhere around 48, and can hang around for three or four days after a genuinely novel session. Being fine on Tuesday and destroyed on Wednesday is the classic pattern.
The good news is that it's largely a one-off. The second time you do the same session it'll be maybe a third as bad, and by the fourth or fifth time you'll barely notice. Your body adapts to the specific movement remarkably fast.
Two things that help: move. Walking, easy cycling, a very light version of the same movements. Sitting still makes it worse. And go back this week rather than waiting until it's completely gone, at maybe 60% of what you did.
Reply
Report
@frosting_fixer · 2w ago
Went for a 20 minute walk on your advice and it genuinely helped within the hour. I'd assumed rest was the answer.
Reply
Report
@deload_dom · 2w ago
It's counterintuitive but blood flow is the thing. Doesn't have to be exercise, a long walk to the shops counts.
Reply
Report