Where does muscle pain come from after training?

Muscle pain that occurs after training primarily affects people who are just starting their adventure with systematic physical activity. However, it should be emphasized that it also applies to people who regularly train. Most often, it occurs after a very intense training, and also in a situation when a new exercise was introduced to the training or a previously uninvolved body part was included in the training. Post-workout muscle pain occurs more often after strength or shaping exercise than after endurance exercise. What contributes to its creation?

What are muscles made of?

To answer this question, you need to know your muscle structure. All the muscles in the human body are made of what are known as muscle fibers. A single muscle fiber contains all the typical cellular organelles. Inside there are contractile filaments – the so-called myofibrils. The muscle fibers bind together to form bunches. The bunches, in turn, connect to form muscle bundles and muscles. It is worth remembering that a person is born with a predetermined number of muscle fibers that do not change.

How does post-workout muscle pain arise?

When performing intense physical exercise, as well as after a longer break in training, micro-injuries occur in the muscles. They consist in breaking the muscle fibers. This phenomenon occurs mainly after modeling or strength exercises. The resulting micro-injuries are nothing negative. It is a natural process that allows the body to adapt to changing environmental conditions – including the training stimuli used. Damage to the muscle fibers is manifested primarily by muscle pain. This is due to the fact that damaged muscle fibers stimulate nociceptors – pain receptors located in damaged muscles. Depending on the intensity of the training performed, its type, and training experience, post-training muscle pain may persist for two to even five days.

What determines the intensity of post-workout muscle pain?

The degree of muscle damage depends on the load applied. The bigger it is, the bigger the micro-injuries arise. The degree of muscle fiber damage also depends on the type of exercise performed. On the basis of the research conducted so far, it has been observed that isometric contractions (these are contractions in which the muscle tightens, but does not change its length) and eccentric contractions (these are contractions in which the muscle is stretched despite the force it generates) in They damage the muscle fibers much more than concentric contractions (these are the contractions in which the muscle shortens and increases its tension at the same time).

What are sourdoughs?

Post-workout muscle pain should not be confused with soreness. The former is characterized by the fact that it is caused by physical damage to the muscle fibers. In turn, soreness and the associated muscle pain are a consequence of too high concentration of lactic acid in the muscles working in anaerobic conditions. The accumulation of large amounts of lactic acid in intensely working muscles stimulates chemoreceptors, which results in muscle pain. Sore muscles, unlike post-workout muscle pain, may last up to several hours after the end of training.

Photos: 1, 2

Damian Yefremienko Coach

Master of physical education with a training specialty, graduate of postgraduate studies in dietetics and nutritional counseling at the Medical University in Poznań, doctoral student at the Department of Sport Theory of the University of Physical Education in Poznań, physical recreation instructor specializing in strength exercises, would-be physiotherapist. scientific. He hates mediocrity and cursory problem solving. Personalization and a holistic approach to the patient are “obvious obvious” for him. She loves to share her knowledge and is eager to expand it. He is most interested in all issues related to the physiology of exercise. Passionate about mountain tourism and new technologies

Other author’s entries