DOMS
I know this is going to sound somewhat masochistic, but I woke up extremely sore this morning and equally excited about it. Which brings up this thought.
In body building, powerlifting and sport science circles there is constant talk and ongoing studies on the attempt to mitigate DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). But is it absolutely necessary? I mean, the first fun fact any health professional learns is that the inflammatory process is the first stage of tissue healing, it's like injury recovery 101. If we take that away post workout, theoretically there would be a less efficient subsequent anabolic process.
I could see why this would be desirable; faster recovery time would allow for more training volume, but at what point is it working against you?
Understand also there is a huge psychological component to resistance training. Some people use DOMS as an outcome measure to reflect the progress yielded from the effort put forth in the gym... if no one was sore post workout, how would that effect someones psyche?
That's enough pondering, I have to go somehow perform at work.