What's the sorest you've ever been after a workout?

[crunchyhippo]

I laid off the gym for a couple of months - long enough for my muscles to forget that I had once been blasting them. I went back this week, intending to take it easy, knowing that even the lightest workout would surely make me quite sore the next few days.

I guess my enthusiasm got the better of me, and I did too many barbell curls and (worse) alternating dumbbell curls. For the next two days, I couldn't straighten my arms out without serious pain in my biceps. Only after s-l-o-w-l-y straightening my arms out would it feel any better, but once they were bent again, the process repeated itself. Ibuprofin didn't help much at all. Morphine would have been the ticket.

Surprisingly, after a few days I took a big dose of ibuprofin and went back to do biceps again. I took it real easy this time, and afterward they don't hurt nearly like what they did after that first workout. I actually think the direct bicep exercise may have driven the lactic acid from the muscle. Something to think about next time I try too much too fast.

[lac38780]

Is curls the only lift you did?

[ArchAngel'73]

I did 20 sets of squats with 225 in my 20's.
Took me 6 days to recover, day 1 was numbness.
Days 2-3 couldn't walk.
Days 4-6 didn't matter 'cuz of the pain days 2 and 3 inflicted.

Congrats bro, well earned.

[OZBB]

I've had DOMS so bad in my legs that I had to go on pain killers and couldnt walk normally for a week after. During that time any false movements would have my legs failing under me.... at one point someone had to catch me as I crashed to the floor...... thats probably the worst leg DOMS I've ever had....

I've also had bicep DOMS so bad that I couldnt sleep.....

I'm glad to say those days are well behind me. Leg DOMS is still a weekly thing but I'm made of tougher stuff now

OZBB

[halogenic]

I was completely out of shape once, visiting a friend in a small village in Germany. Anyway we went for a jog one afternoon, which was more like a long distance cross-country sprint. I hadn't jogged or ran in years, but was determined out of idiotic pride to keep up. Anyway the second I stopped running, I just felt all the muscles in my legs seize up and couldn't walk for about three days afterwards.

[brava]

weighted lunges....the quads and glutes were killing me for a week after

[beachguy498]

I had gotten back into a routine after a 10 year break. It was after the first week, of course I pushed myself too far. My forearms hurt so bad that it took me like another week before I could straighten them out. Excruciating pain that Aleve could only scratch the paint on.

Since then, I've been adding weight all the time and get minor soreness now and then.

BG

[Coach_P]

Does anyone else notice the day after the day after is the worst? It's always when I am most sore.

[MrNismo]

Does anyone else notice the day after the day after is the worst? It's always when I am most sore.

Absolutely, always the 2nd day is the worst DOMS.

My worst pain has to be tie between calves or biceps, either of which I couldn't sleep with the pain.

[Old-Time-Lifter]

Does anyone else notice the day after the day after is the worst? It's always when I am most sore.

Hence the reason it's call 'DOMS'

[beachguy498]

Does anyone else notice the day after the day after is the worst? It's always when I am most sore.

I had slacked off for a couple of weeks while I was sick and on vacation. I got back into the groove last week, my last w/o was on Tuesday and a heavy one at that. Today is Thursday and my lats and biceps are sore, so are my thighs, but it feels good.

BG

[aneas]

The first workout I ever did I followed a routine from Franco Columbo. I did the entire workout. Came home and slept for 2 hours. The next day I was so sore I could not get out of bed. My quads hurt for days. Never felt anything like that again.

[Alex_RC]

I did a hard calf workout on New Years Eve (day) and was unable to walk for 3 days after. My kids had a blast making fun of me and putting things just out of reach...

[beancntr]

The first time I did real (atg) squats about 2 1/2 months ago. It took me almost a week to recover.

[JonnyStead]

I think when I first started doing squats. I had legs like a chicken and used to get awful DOMs for days and days - literally had to start just doing it once a week - got there in the end though !

[Guff]

I was too sore to stand up in the shower, so I took a bath. Then I was too sore to lift myself out of the tub.

[ExCompetitor]

1980 getting ready for the Mr. Niagara i decided one day to do 10 sets of 20 ATG Squats after 7 sets of 225 i had to drop to 185 but i got through them...afterwards went to the mall to go shopping and when i went to get out of the car my legs locked and i fell down getting out of the car.Two guys helped me up and i just sat there for a half hour massaging my legs so i could drive home.I didn`t sleep at all that night with the worst leg spasms you could imagine.

[camau]

worse has to be the legs man its like u cant stand up and then your chest is so sore sometimes u think u have man tits too omg its painful -______-

[BergMuscle]

Does anyone else notice the day after the day after is the worst? It's always when I am most sore.

Absolutely, always the 2nd day is the worst DOMS.

My worst pain has to be tie between calves or biceps, either of which I couldn't sleep with the pain.

Hence the reason it's call 'DOMS'

Absolutely!
I worked my chest super-hard last Saturday and overnight Sunday/Monday I had chest DOMS that actually woke me up! (And I know they were DOMS, not "chest pains" because I could feel the muscles twitching.) I've had DOMS quite frequently, but that was a first!

[DaddyR]

My Freshman year of High School I decided to try out for the Wrestling Team. After the first day of tryouts I was so sore I could barely move for over a week. I didn't even think of trying out for any sports again for 2 years! Got into weightlifting during gym class my Junior year and have been lifting off and on ever since. (...and made the Wrestling team my senior year BTW.)

[Northeasterner]

recently. I did a chest-supported exercise without any plates as an in-between-sets stretch for barbell rows. I had done squats before and place the bar too high (right on my traps).

for several days my traps and upper back was in pain. I couldn't turn my face to the right without hurting. I was literally unable to move my arm from straight to bent, hand under head while in bed without cringing in pain. I was stretching, watching tv on the couch, and reaching for the remote was a struggle.

[jellodirt]

I laid off the gym for a couple of months - long enough for my muscles to forget that I had once been blasting them. I went back this week, intending to take it easy, knowing that even the lightest workout would surely make me quite sore the next few days.

I guess my enthusiasm got the better of me, and I did too many barbell curls and (worse) alternating dumbbell curls. For the next two days, I couldn't straighten my arms out without serious pain in my biceps. Only after s-l-o-w-l-y straightening my arms out would it feel any better, but once they were bent again, the process repeated itself. Ibuprofin didn't help much at all. Morphine would have been the ticket.

Surprisingly, after a few days I took a big dose of ibuprofin and went back to do biceps again. I took it real easy this time, and afterward they don't hurt nearly like what they did after that first workout. I actually think the direct bicep exercise may have driven the lactic acid from the muscle. Something to think about next time I try too much too fast.

I saw a video on youtube where a guy did 100 "GI Janes". Each rep consists of doing a burpee and when in the down position a pushup, coming out of the burpee hopping up and doing 1 pull-up. I did 10 and the two days that followed were the sorest I'd ever been...

[bebeklein]

Leg day...took 4 full days to recover.

[SP1966]

Squats and lunges = An eternity trying to sit on a toilet, and major pain once I got seated!

[exzile]

Not quite 35...but close enough.

For me it was just recently, as I just came back to lifting again after a massive 12 year lay off.

Sure, I had a few sore moments when I was younger, and just learning how to lift and what to expect. But nothing then was as bad as it was for me March 1st of this year when I started back up again.

As I said, I haven't lifted since I was about 22ish. Back then I was in pretty good shape, and lifted pretty smart always trying to keep on top of the best ways to perform and to get the most of my workouts...

Well, my body had transformed into something my 22 year old self would have been embarrassed to become. So with my lifting knowledge very much in-tact but a body very much un-accustomed to such things my first week of workouts was incredibly agonizing.

My first workout was chest/tris...I thought I went easy. Next day I was unable to contract my arms at all and my chest felt like it was ripping every time I moved.

Then 2 days later, Back/bis. I knew I was in trouble when as soon as I finished working my bis I was unable to lower my arms from there sides. Was quite embarrassing to try and lower them in the gym but to no avail...that was a nice 2 days of being unable to lower my arms now. Back was so so.

Legs and shoulders was not bad though, I learned my lesson. I actually spent this first week back, waking up every 15- 20 minutes because I was in so much pain when I moved.

The pain I endured as well as the problems of being unable to raise or lower my arms was pretty terrible. But it was worth it to get back into things again.

[new2lifting]

I played a game of tackle football several months ago

I didn't get take any hits or have significant contact during the game(I ran out of bounds alot), but I could barely walk for 2 days due to muscle soreness in about every muscle in my body

This was mainly from quick cuts running and bursts of speed

soreness from lifting weights seemed like a walk in the park after that

gave me more respect for what the NFL players go through every game

[Iron Barbarian]

I used to get some really bad soreness in my Arms after I took off for a while. They would hurt so bad that I wanted to puke from the pain and couldn't straighten my arms out for at least a week. Ah, the good old days.....

[jocdat]

Years ago, I once did Calf Raises HARD and the next day, I woke up to find my right calf had ballooned to twice the size! While it was very painful, I couldn't help but wish I could make the left calf blow up to that size too and keep it!

[Rootus]

I've had DOMS so bad that I had to fall onto the toilet, fall into the car (and roll to get out), and had near collapses just during normal daily activities.

I've learned my lesson. Now if for some reason I lay off the lifting for any length of time (say a month or longer), when I come back I do just the bar on all my lifts for the first workout, and then about 1/2 my PR the next time, and after that I work up to where I was before.

I believe the term Rippetoe uses in SS is "spectacular" when he describes how an experienced lifter can come back from a break and cause themselves a serious case of DOMS. I'd agree with that term, it's accurate . Your muscles and nervous system do not quickly forget how to lift, and you can do a very efficient job of overworking weak muscles.

[groink]

Funny this thread has appeared.

I've been unhappy with my bicep workout intensity so 2 days ago i just did 8 sets of DB incline curls with 50 lbs. and just repped out every set until i couldn't move my arms. And they are still brutally sore today, i feel like a rookie