Severe DOMS after Crossfit WODs page

[SophieScreams]

Hiya!

So, I like to Crossfit 2-3 times a week, and take an entire week off from training every 8 weeks or so. I'm looking for a way to quickly recover and lessen the excruciating DOMS. The Progenex stuff all the boxes promote have soy and milk and sucralose, so, um, blech and NO.

A bit about me;
I'm a 33yo woman, no health issues, 5'4.5 and slenderly build, though I can easily put the muscle on. My problem is that I get serious DOMS about 48 hours post WOD. I mean, like, debilitating soreness and rubbery legs that can barely support my own weight. My knees snap back and I have to walk slowly, and I've even lost my balance several times. This can go on for 4-5 days. I don't lift nearly as heavy as I'd like to, and this happens even if it's a bodyweight-only WOD. I don't feel that I'm working beyond my level of fitness. The soreness was never this bad when I was just doing traditional weightlifting routines.

I've already tried cold soaks, mineral baths, and foam rolling, with no lessening of the crippling pain. I used to eat wads of protein or have a big whey shake back in the SAD old days, and it was hard on my tummy. And I feel too guilty to quit CF, since I have 5 more months on my expensive membership that's already paid in full.

Please oh please help me, buff warrior people of the Primal world!

[samknox]

Severe, chronic DOMS is nature's way of telling you that you are exercising too intensely, too often, or both. It also means that, in the long term, you may be doing more harm than good.

The science isn't settled yet on the cause of DOMS, and the only reliable treatment is reducing the intensity and/or frequency of training. It's also exacerbated by changes in exercises. Frequent, high-intensity training with novel exercises is a prescription for chronic muscle soreness.

So, don't do Crossfit.

[sbhikes]

If you find a solution to this, let me know. I was getting severe DOMS from my core fitness class. The class was Tues and Thurs and I was sore pretty much every day except Monday. So sore I had to hold on to the sink to go to the toilet and struggled down the front steps. So I figured I would try Starting Strength barbell training and build enough strength that such things would not happen to me anymore. But it still happens. For example, I did Romainian deadlifts at first but now I do regular ones. I did Romainian deadlifts on Wednesday for the hell of it and now I'm so sore I can barely walk down the stairs. So what can I do? Do I have to do EVERY possible thing every day for the rest of my life so that if I bend over and clean my tub I won't be so sore I can barely move for a week?

This is so bad I'm starting to wonder if there's an illness that causes this because I don't know anybody who has this as bad as me, except now for you. I'm too afraid to do Crossfit because I know it'll kill me.

[gt1cm2]

By now you shouldn't be still getting that sore, everyone I've spoken too at crossfit and myself find the first week hard, maybe the second but not after that. Sounds like it might be more dietary related. Are you getting enough magnesium, potassium or B12?

[jtrain_36]

By now you shouldn't be still getting that sore, everyone I've spoken too at crossfit and myself find the first week hard, maybe the second but not after that. Sounds like it might be more dietary related. Are you getting enough magnesium, potassium or B12?

Along these lines, I once had a leg workout that left me unable to contract my quadriceps at all. Fell down a couple times and had to be taken to the hospital where I was told that I was low on potassium.

They gave me a potassium drink and a NaCl IV that fixed the problem immediately. Personally I think it was the Sodium that helped me more than the potassium so now I try to make sure I get enough salt on my workout days.

[SophieScreams]

By now you shouldn't be still getting that sore, everyone I've spoken too at crossfit and myself find the first week hard, maybe the second but not after that. Sounds like it might be more dietary related. Are you getting enough magnesium, potassium or B12?

It does feel like newbie-soreness, except I've been at it for 7 months now.

I was wondering about vitamin and mineral deficiencies, the potassium and B12 may be helpful. I already take 250mg mag every day. I don't take multi's since I'm allergic to base metals and they seem to be in every stinkin' multivitamin out there. I'll shop around online, see if it's available that way.

[SophieScreams]

Anyone have luck with L-glutamine? Or any other aminos? What about ACV post-workout? I'm willing to experiment!

[SophieScreams]

Severe, chronic DOMS is nature's way of telling you that you are exercising too intensely, too often, or both. It also means that, in the long term, you may be doing more harm than good.

The science isn't settled yet on the cause of DOMS, and the only reliable treatment is reducing the intensity and/or frequency of training. It's also exacerbated by changes in exercises. Frequent, high-intensity training with novel exercises is a prescription for chronic muscle soreness.

So, don't do Crossfit.

There are people of every fitness level and age at my box, and we are very closely supervised by the trainers. I've even had a trainer stop me mid-WOD and make me take weight off the bar! I do not feel that I am overtraining in any way.There are women at my box who are small-boned and "strong like ox."

This feels like a nutritional deficiency. I didn't CF as a SAD person, so I can't compare paleo in that way, but I trained like a mad woman on my own before adopting paleo and was never in this much pain.

[Forever Young]

There are people of every fitness level and age at my box, and we are very closely supervised by the trainers. I've even had a trainer stop me mid-WOD and make me take weight off the bar! I do not feel that I am overtraining in any way.There are women at my box who are small-boned and "strong like ox."

This feels like a nutritional deficiency. I didn't CF as a SAD person, so I can't compare paleo in that way, but I trained like a mad woman on my own before adopting paleo and was never in this much pain.

You ARE over training! If you are that sore, you are clearly over reaching your capacity to properly recover from the stimulus. As you become more fit and really learn to train more intensely, it puts a much greater stress on your body, thus recovery being even more important. The more intense the stimulus, the less you need and the more you need to properly recover. You can choose to ignore my words. If you do, I can assure you with absolute certainty that you are heading for trouble. Fitness is NOT about doing as much as one can possibly do and as hard as one can possibly do it. Its about doing the right amount in terms of intensity, duration and frequency. You should feel great almost all the time as a result. If not, you are on the wrong track. Period.

[Neckhammer]

Could be a movement dysfunction also. Are you overly sore just in a particular areas or whole body. I believe it was Gray Cook said "First move well, Then move often".....basically if your doing it in reverse your setting yourself up for injury or lack luster results. Getting someone who knows a thing or two about biomechanics/alignment beyond your standard CF trainer to take a look might be an idea.

Anyhow, don't compare yourself to others at the box. Even those of same age, size, and experience. You are the only one you gotta worry about and likely have very specific needs.

I'm not a big fan of combining strength training with skill sets and endurance work all in one (read not a fan of Crossfit) unless your aiming for high level athletics. If you really love it that's great, but many people cant do that level of work more than 2-3 days a week without burning out.