If you’re like most people, the thought of working out makes your muscles feel sore. This is because of DOMS- delayed onset muscle soreness. DOMS are a result of microtrauma to the muscle fibers, and can occur hours or even days after a workout. In this article, we will discuss what DOMS are and why they happen. We will also discuss the science behind how a workout will impact them and increase their strength and endurance. Finally, we will provide tips on how to increase your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems so you can row harder and longer!
DOMS – Delayed onset muscle soreness
DOMS is the result of microtrauma to the muscle fibers and can occur hours or even days after a workout. DOMS are a result of anaerobic metabolism, which is when your muscles use oxygen to produce energy. When your muscles don’t have enough oxygen, they produce lactic acid, which causes DOMS.
Workouts – A rowing workout will impact the DOMS by using the large muscles in your back and legs. These workouts also increase your heart rate and breathing, which helps to improve your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.
Tips – To increase your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, you should try to row harder and longer! You can also try interval training, which is when you alternate between high-intensity and low-intensity rowing. Interval training will help you to row harder and longer because it allows your body to recover during the low-intensity periods.
How to recover
Static and dynamic stretching – Static stretching is when you hold a stretch for a period of time, usually 30 seconds or more. Dynamic stretching is when you move your body through a full range of motion. Both types of stretching can help to improve your flexibility and range of motion, which can help to reduce DOMS.
Heat and cold therapy – Heat therapy can be used to increase blood flow to the muscles and reduce inflammation. Cold therapy can be used to numb the pain and reduce inflammation.
Aerobic and Anaerobic energy systems
The aerobic energy system is the body’s main source of energy during exercise. When we work out, our muscles use oxygen to produce ATP, or energy. The aerobic energy system is used during moderate-intensity exercise, like a brisk walk or slow jog. It can also be used during high-intensity exercise, like running or rowing, but not for as long as the aerobic system. The aerobic energy system is very efficient, but it takes time to replenish its oxygen stores.
That’s why we can only sustain aerobic exercise for a certain amount of time before our muscles start to fatigue. However, we can improve the efficiency and endurance of the aerobic energy system by working out regularly. When we do aerobic exercise, our cells adapt by increasing the number of mitochondria, or aerobic sites.
This allows our muscles to produce more ATP using oxygen, which in turn improves our endurance and makes us less likely to fatigue during exercise. In addition, regular aerobic exercise also helps to improve the efficiency of our respiratory and cardiovascular systems, which further enhances the delivery of oxygen to our muscles. Ultimately, by working out regularly, we can make our aerobic energy system more efficient and better able to meet the demands of exercise.
The anaerobic energy system is the system that provides energy for high-intensity exercise. It is fueled by glucose and glycogen, and it produces ATP rapidly to support muscle contraction. However, this system can only sustain exercise for a short period of time before it becomes fatigued. The aerobic energy system, on the other hand, uses oxygen to produce ATP, and it can support exercise for a much longer period of time.
However, aerobic exercise is generally not as intense as anaerobic exercise. Because of this, many athletes will use a combination of both aerobic and anaerobic training to improve their performance. For example, rowers will often do short bursts of high-intensity rowing followed by periods of low-intensity rowing to train both energy systems. By doing this, they can improve the efficiency and endurance of both systems.
DOMS can be hard to deal with, but it is a normal part of working out. As you progress with your workouts you will find that DOMS do not impact you quite as much, this is because your muscles will become used to the stress that you are putting on them.
