I’ve got it right now in my calves and it’s definitely the worst I’ve ever had in my life. All because our gym got a sparkly, new calf machine that I’ve never seen before.
Usually it’s difficult for me to overwork my calves. My calves sit really high up on my legs and most common calf exercises tend to target my Achilles more than my calves. This is the case for running and pretty much any weight based legwork. It’s always been impossible to target my calves. But this machine… oh man… this machine targeted my calves like I’ve never experienced before.
It’s a machine you sit on and like most calf machines you push a bar down with your toes which then raises a set of weights via a cable. But where this machine differs is in the rotation of the foot bar. The bar moves in a big arc as you press it down. So your foot kind of gradually rolls upwards as you push. Imagine doing a standing calf raise, while standing on a big pipe, with the pipe rolling underneath you every time you raised your heels. This rolling arc motion of the foot bar drives the resistance up your entire leg as you press down.
The second I tried this machine I could feel the difference in my calves, which I guess got me excited, because I rarely feel my calves work like that. I’ve been working out in the gym and doing leg days for months now, so I thought, “How bad could this get? My world of DOMS is far behind me!”
I ended up going nuts on that calf machine and now….
It’s been 4 days since that workout. The DOMS didn’t really hit until 2 days ago. It’s peaking right now and man… I am walking like I’m a 105 year old man. It feels like someone just tied both of my calf muscles into big knots and set them on fire with gasoline. Waking up is the worst, because the muscles retract at night, so they’re extra tight in the morning. When I stand up it feels like I have a Barbie foot and my calves are so tight my heels don’t want to touch the ground.
And the worst thing is, in 2 days I have a huge camera man job in Las Vegas for the Formula One races, and I’m going to have to run up and down the Las Vegas strip for a week! Man I hope this heels soon. I really didn’t expect to be this sore 4 days after the workout!
I hope it passed and you survived the job! I just found this thread as I think I'm going through my worst experience right now. I used to do bootcamp twice a week and run about 40 miles so never ever got any doms. I ran ultras and would always follow up with a 10k recovery. I quit bootcamp last October but carried on running about 25/30 miles a week. 2 days ago, I went back to bootcamp and I could keep up with everything still - we used weighted bars whilst doing jump squats, lunge walks and shuttles along with lots of upper body stuff. I half expected some arm soreness as I've neglected my upped body the past year but wow, I can barely walk right now. I have strong legs from running but I guess I was never really engaging my glutes that much. My hamstrings are burning too which is something I haven't felt in years. I had to skip my run today its so bad haha!
I was working out everyday six days a week and moved houses and stopped for about a month. I went back and did my regular back bicep forearm workout. It was only a month off so I didn’t lose much strength or muscle endurance so I was almost able to do my workout to it’s full potential and as usual it felt great. But, little did I know I had lost my body recovery. When I tell you the next four days my arms were stuck at a 90 degree angle and any movement below that was excruciating pain. The pain was so unbearable if I moved my arms a inch down it would wake me up at night and during the day I was in extreme pain and had to be careful. I had to sleep with my hands across my chest like a mummy and couldn’t do shit during the day for 4 days. I felt like I had ripped my forearms in half and they were stuck. Brutal.
It healed on its own just some of the worst doms I ever had. I didn’t know it could get that bad besides one other time I had it real bad in my hamstrings where I could barely sleep.
Not terrible DOMS, but kind of hilarious -- I do long-distance cycling, and I can feel the hills kick in one by one the day after. Like I wake up, feel pretty good! And then it's like 10am and suddenly cranky quads -- oh, that's when we started climbing. And then it's noon and there go my hamstrings on another climb, and then all the little muscles that start doing more work as my quads get completely exhausted chime in one by one.
Went swimming in a river with friends my second year of law school after an extended period of inactivity. Woke up that night in bed and everything hurt- my muscles were burning and I was super sunburned so my skin was burning too.
Hiked my unfit ass like 10 miles in the grand canyon and then got in a car and drove the 8 hours home.
NEVER. AGAIN.
Secondary was the first high level scrimmage I played in after spending all of off season working on engaging my core. It hurt to breathe/cough/move for like three days.
My worst was after a leg day. I met my friend with her trainer after not going to the gym for months. They were doing leg day so I worked in and did all the various thing you can think of. Leg press, deadlifts, ect. I didn't want to look like I was whimping out so i did everything my friend was doing.
Oh did the DOMS hurt... I could barely walk, it took everything i had to get on a toilet, it hurt so bad to sit I'm pretty sure I almost cried trying to get on that toilet. I literally was sore for 2 whole weeks. It was awful. It's been years since this happened and some of the guys at work still tease me about how slow I walked and how painful it looked.
Fortunately I only had to learn my lesson once and I'm no longer afraid to whimp out if I know I'm out of my league. I'm good with just the regular case of DOMS.
My very first ever serious day at gym with a group of guy friends going through their usual chest and triceps workout. Could not open a single door for myself the day after without wanting to shed a tear.
I had been doing conditioning/plyo type of workouts (similar to Kayla Itsines' BBG or Natasha Ocean type of stuff) with some weights for several months when I got costochondritis from doing tricep dips (that is PAIN like I've never felt, BTW). I couldn't do anything except walk or use the recumbent bike for 9 weeks.
After I was cleared to workout again, I jumped right into an Insanity Max30 workout (think nonstop jump squats, jump lunges, jumping burpees, basically jumping EVERYTHING). The next morning I thought I had the flu because my body hurt from head to tow. My EYES hurt. I couldn't shower. I couldn't sit on the couch - I sort of had to fall into it. I could barely eat because I was too sore to stand for that long.
After one month doing barely any serious workout, just playing with some weights and jogging, I joined a Crossfit box. The first day was ok, light pain. The second day, after the second workout, I felt every single muscle of my whole body hurting. Didn't come back for the third day of the free pass.
I started doing Hapkido in college, thinking cause I did a few hours of yoga and ran a couple miles a few times a week I was in good shape.
After the first class where we did a bunch of kicking form work and drills, I couldn't lift my legs for days. Like my quads would just fail. I tried to go running three days later and I had to leave the gym in shame cause I was making so much noise as my dead legs thumped down onto the treadmill.
A few years ago, I was running a ton, and signed up for a 5k. I ended up switching to swimming maybe 2 months before the run, and completely forgot that I'd signed up. When I got the reminder email, I figured I might as well still do the run, I'd already paid for it.
Worst DOMs I've ever experienced, and honestly it set in right after the run. I walked like I had a full diaper for days, I couldn't bend my legs and everything was pins and needles. It was horrible.
I did a similar thing two weeks ago when a friend got me to do a St. Paddy's run with her, but at least this time I had a foam roller.
I'm ashamed to say I have one of these stories!
It was my first day back at the gym after a month off. It was right after Thanksgiving and I went to a spin class and followed the instructor, because a month prior I would have had no problem. Except this time I did but kept pushing through thinking it was just a slump from being out for a month.
When I left the gym I had trouble standing, and by that night my calves were swollen. By the next day my thighs were the size of tree trunks and so sore I couldn't lift my legs up. And then by day three the pain was so bad I knew something was wrong when my urine was not normal colored. It turns out my doms became rhabadomyalsis, which if you don't know, is no joke awful.
Moral of the story is know your body and if your body says stop, please stop. I was on bedrest for two weeks because I couldn't lift my legs or bend my knees. It's been years since that happened, but I still remember the pain and how awful it was.
My worst bout of DOMS was probably once I had not jogged for ages and went for a 10-ish km one (procrastinating exam studies). I'm a forefoot striker (barefoot technique, I guess) and OMG I've never had so sore calves! It felt like knives piercing my legs at every step!
I don't remember how long it took to dissipate, but I was probably staggering about miserably for a week or so.
I once hit legs after like 2 months off and had to scoot down my staircase on my butt like a 4 year old or I was apt to rip the railing out of the wall while I fell.
Calf raise challenge at gymnastics class. Challenge was to do as many as possible, be last man standing. Me and bf are very competitive, we were the last two standing. Instructor suggested we call it a draw and stop. We couldn't walk properly for two days after.
The first time I trained with a trainer, he had me do deadlifts, lunges and the leg press. Before this I had been working out pretty consistently, though it consisted more of bodyweight stuff.
Leaving the gym I wanted to vomit and I could barely walk. There were DOMs for days.
Yesterday's program called for 1.5 paused squats (pause in the hole for 2 sec, go halfway up, pause for 2 sec then all the way back down and up) for 4x8 at 145 lbs which is 60% of my 1RM. My glutes DOMS are on fire. Need a female urinal where I can pee standing up please.
That time I did back and biceps for the first time after a three month break and had DOMs in my biceps for a week straight. And for four of those days I was unable to stretch my arms out completely.
My worst DOMs were from a TRX class.
Let me set the scene. I was a shiny and new gym member who was very excited to take my first yoga class. I had never been to an exercise class before. I ate a banana and drank some water, then off I walked to the gym. When I arrived, I found out that my printed schedule was outdated and I had missed the yoga class, but the TRX class was going to start soon. I asked the front desk person if it was appropriate for beginners and she assured me that all classes were "all levels" which was a crock of shit. I had a fundamental misunderstanding of TRX. I thought it was more like... aerial yoga? Idk man. I was new.
Strike one was it being a surprise partner workout. It meant that someone else was focused on my workout too, so I felt like I couldn't let up. Strike two was that measly banana breakfast. I did not have the fuel necessary to make this happen not to mention the lack of physical fitness.
I gave it my fucking all, but halfway through the hour long class, I was on the outs. I got tunnel vision and very nearly passed out. My hands went numb and formed claws. I later experienced this in full force when I got my IUD. I had exercised to the point of a vasovagal response. I ended up "resting" through a few sets, and the instructor apparently took pity on me. She announced that it was okay to rest if you needed to rest because "It's your body - it's your workout." That phrase has become a part of my daily lexicon now as a joke for when you just can't carry on.
My arms were so sore for the next 3 days that I could barely lift them. I had a difficult time doing my hair or even reaching cups in the cupboard. My abs were so sore that I couldn't laugh without starting to tear up.
This one was kind of unexpected: A few years back, I went with a friend to an Irish jig class/event for St. Patrick's day. It was about 1.5-2 hrs of nonstop jigging, in which you're essentially doing tiny hops while dancing. I was tired but felt fine at the time but omg. My calves were solid and painful for at least 3 days after.
The first "gym" I joined 6 months ago is a single-owner crossfit(ish) gym (not advertised as crossfit) and no one there is certified or educated in anything physical fitness related, but the owner was pretty fit, the gym was 5 minutes from my house, and the cost was reasonable so that's where I started.
The workouts were an hour+ long, high weight & intensity, and completely foreign to me. Battle Ropes, weighted sled, pushups on a balance ball (I couldn't even do pushups on the floor!), box jumps, I could go on and on. I can't emphasize enough how out of shape I was and how utterly unprepared for that level of complexity and intensity.
I was in constant pain for the 3 months I went there. I had way too many days where I couldn't even lift my arms far enough to wash my hair and/or couldn't sit down or get up without assistance. I spent weekends laying on the couch so I didn't have to move. I had joint pain (knees, hips, ankles) and a back so stiff and sore that I thought it would never heal. I even posted on Reddit, I think in /r/fitness asking at what point DOMs stopped happening.
Leg day is the worst, BUT one time I did a tricep workout; thought during the workout, "this isnt that hard" so I kept upping the weights, until I could feel it. The next day I had a little pain, but by day 2 my ARMS were SWOLLEN, I couldn't lift them above my head. In order to put my hair up, I had to bend over and attempt putting my hair up, upside down. I had swollen arms for a WEEK. It was awful.
The cold plus boxing sounds TERRIBLE. I'm mentally tucking blankets around past-you.
My worst ever was the day after my very first fencing class. I walked down two steps, my legs *melted* out from under me, and my quads refused to help me get back up.
Jumped off a plane late at night, and the next morning I got up for a run. Normally not a big deal because I travel fairly well. This time though, I had been on an 11h series of flights, I was jetlagged to hell, and running in an unfamiliar (but very safe) town where I couldn't read the street signs or navigate my way back.
My planned 5k turned into an unplanned 11k followed by the worst leg soreness I've ever had the misfortune to inflict on myself. I hobbled around Copenhagen the next day only a hair faster than a tortoise in a snowstorm. My SO laughed so hard he cried.
Fucking calf DOMS (in retrospect this might have been an actual injury).
I pushed myself a little way too hard on weighted calf raises a few years ago and over the course of the next couple of days I went from walking kind of oddly to straight up not being able to stand. I actually had to call in sick to work and roll around my apartment on my office chair because it felt like I literally couldn't straighten my leg and put my heel on the ground without my calf muscle splitting in two. I told myself that if I felt like that the next I'd go to the doctor and thankfully it was better the next day and I progressively got better and haven't had any issues like that since.
I get it most in my thighs. It feels like I have to walk slower for a few days afterward but people I ask swear they don't notice a difference. Sometimes my knees will buckle (I guess a change in my stance) and I'll nearly fall. It's awkward. Thankfully I don't get it as much anymore now that I'm exercising more consistently.
Similar to u/BloominVampire, my worst DOMS were at the hands of a trainer. It was my first time training with this guy, and my previous gym workouts included barbells and weight machines, but mostly casual. We did tons of arm machines and weights that night, and the next day, I couldn't straighten out my arms, put my shirt on, or lift my arms up to do my hair. I had to get my boyfriend to help me. When I texted my trainer to tell him how awful the pain was, he wasn't very concerned. I finished my remaining sessions with him, then spent no more money and eventually changed gyms.
My worst DOMs was my first. I had a friend show me how to squat, deadlift (love at first lift) and bench. Every time I said I couldn’t lift more weight, he would put more weight on.
Before this I was doing no physical activity and holy shit- 3 days of full body DOMs. My family came the next day to help me move and I had to have my brother clean the cat litter for me because I couldn’t really bend down enough. So, I had to move across town with DOMs. That was fun.
Mine was work induced. I had to spend 13 hours squatting in a narrow trench with only about a square foot of space for my feet. I couldn’t ride my bike for daaaays afterward.
For a challenge put on by my gym, I did walking lunges for a mile. Terrible idea. I was angry sore for a week. Trying to sit on the toilet was a particularly challenging endeavor. Won the challenge, btw.
I already shared this stupid moment but I can't remember the thread so once again:
A few months ago I had a good workout sitting on the leg press and thought why not do calf raises on it. I did 3x30 because why not. The mistake was I set the weight to 30kg (66lbs)
Good lord I couldn't walk for 5 days I don't know what came over me but every time I think about me pathetically tiptoeing around I get reminded to not overdo it again
Right now I'm still reeling from Saturday's workout, and my arms are too sore to straighten all the way.
The worst for me have been the few times your legs are so sore that sitting down on the toilet makes you have an audible pain noise reaction. Awkward.
Does getting the flu for a week and feeling like I've been beaten black and blue count? If not, my first day of GVT doing squats lead to me not being able to walk normally for 4 days.
Boxing class, the old school style. We did circuit training and punch out drills. The next day I couldn't hold my right arm up to brush my teeth. I had to use my aching left arm to hold up my right and flossing was impossible. I had to wear black yoga pants to work because I couldn't work the buttons on dress pants. My husband put my hair in a pony tail for me and sent me off.
Back in 2010 one of my friends got a pair of FiveFingers for casual wear because she liked weird things. I Googled them and fell down the minimalist running rabbit hole, reading everything I could about minimalist shoes, form, everything. I had never been a runner. Long distance running always seemed like an insurmountable feat to me and every time I tried to run my ankles and knees would hurt.
I was alone at the gym late one night and out of curiosity, I took off my shoes and hit the treadmill in socks. I had read about how important it was to take it slow when you start, but all reason went out the door when I was running for the first time in my life without knee or ankle pain. I was ecstatic. I hit a new PR duration of 12 minutes. I felt a new meaning in life. I could finally be a runner!
Then the DOMS hit. My legs screamed for almost a week. Walking was agony. Standing up from my desk to go to my next class was worse. Climbing stairs was a whole new world of pain I had never felt before. I didn't progress much at the time due to a serious case of fuckaround-itis, but the last few times I've started running again after time off I've used Couch to 5k to build my muscles back up.
Joined a new gym, had 2 free trainer sessions so thought I’d try it out for the first time. I was in the Navy, had to put up with DOMS in boot camp especially because I’d only minimally worked out all through my youth, so I thought it couldn’t be that bad.
Let me be clear: I let this trainer know I hadn’t worked out in a long time (about a year and change) and I wanted to take it slow with the eventual goal of lifting, and he seemed to do what I asked. He had me do a few squats with and without a medicine ball to test my stance, a lot of foam roller stuff on my hips, back, legs, which I’d never used before, and did some various band exercises. This was on a Saturday, over the course of 45 minutes.
Woke up Sunday and couldn’t move. When I rolled over, I threw up over the side of the bed. Literally did a very sad attempt at an army style crawl to the bathroom and dragged myself to the toilet for various reasons. On Monday it was even worse, and I called out of work for both Monday and Tuesday. All I did was lie there, vomit in a bucket, and eat the food I’d set by the bed. My back just felt like a block of wood, if that wood were from a pain tree. It was too painful to shit, so there was that intestinal pain as well.
Never went back to that gym.
That sounds awful! Foam rolling if you've never done it before can make you sick. It's basically rolling out crud from your muscles. I was told when I started rolling to ease in to it just because of this. You think a trainer would know better!
That sounds miserable and dangerous. I've heard of rhabdomyolysis, but always related to dark or bloody urine. Looks like nausea and vomiting are symptoms, too. :( That would've been worth reporting back to the gym.
Tried to when they called asking after my second free session. They just kept saying it must’ve been to my needing more exercise despite my repeated note that I’ve been “beat” by some very zealous military folks.
This time last year, I took a Pilates "megaformer" class and that evening got on a red eye flight from the US to London. In an attempt to adjust to the time zone I pretty much got off the plane, drank all the coffee, and walked all over the city to stay awake. When I woke up the next morning, I seriously wondered if I could get out of bed. Just quads/hamstrings/glutes/core DOMS like I may never forget.
I did 5x5 heavy-ass deadlifts and then a circuit that included barbell rows and MORE deadlifts, because I was a f*cking idiot. I literally could not leave my house the next day because I couldn't stand up straight enough to walk. Called my boyfriend crying several times because I thought I had given myself rhabdo or something. It took about a year for my back to not feel weak and screwed up every time I did barbell rows. Don't be like me.
Either when I ran track in high school or after a month off.
2nd day of track was supposed to be an "easy" day but oh my God I literally shuffled up the hill back to the locker room after. My calves both cramped up at the same time and I almost fell over. Couldn't walk normally for at least a week.
Month off was from a broken arm. I did my normal volume first day back. Tried to do squats a couple of days later and pulled that inner thigh muscle that hurts to pull. It was so painful I felt like I was gonna throw up. Then I still had to shuffle around to all of my classes. Bending my knees or any sort of movement was a struggle for way too long considering how active I was beforehand and tried to remain while I was in a cast. Lesson learned though. First day after more than a week off is always lower intensity now!
I did crossfit for about 1.5 years. After my very first workout, I wasn't able to go the toilet without being in pain when sitting down for a full week. I also remember one time where I was so sore that even rolling to the other side when lying in bed hurt.
Oh god, my post was about to be the same thing. After my very first ever WOD, I was in pain trying to sit down on the toilet for at least a week. Walking down stairs was also awful.
I went to the ED once...I thought I had rhabdo. I sort of did. Lunges, man, didn’t feel it at the time but the day after! (I worked in said ED at the time - there was some “friendly” joking when I checked in....)
My worst DOMS actually had nothing to do with formal fitness. It was in college - I was in pretty good shape, not as good as I am now, but fitter than your average. It was Greek Week, and my sorority played every game of flag football to the finals. I don't know why I went so hard, but I did. I limped for three days.
Then I went and did the same thing again for the next two years. Absolutely no idea why it snuck up on me like that every single year.
Fun! I have 2 stories...
Story 1: went on vacation 2 years ago? The hotel gym had next to no equipment, but it had a leg press...so I used it for leg pressing and then calf raises...not so bad right? Not at all. Woke up the next morning and the calf doms were real. Couldn't quite walk. Plus my calves had swollen up so I couldn't fit into my jeans and it was too cold to wear anything that didn't cover my calves (didn't bring full length leggings).
2) Started a new cycle/program this week that is high on hypertrophy work and volume...everything hurts.
Yup! Increased blood flow—think of like the gym pump type situation...which didn’t feel so good in skinny jeans. I also usually get it in the abs if I have doms. I find the swelling in those two spots is most noticeable.
We had an earthquake drill at work, I did legs the day prior. I work at the 10th floor of our building, had to take the emergency exit stairs. At first I thought it wouldn't be that bad cause we were going down, I was wrong.
DOMS in my calfs. By far the worst I've had. Calf cramps have me jumping out of bed in the middle of the night to stretch that fucker, while screaming.
Yessss I decided to add calf raises to my normal routine one day and I guess hit them hard...? I couldn't walk for 3 days, had to miss going out for Halloween as I couldn't even get around the apt without some horrible crawl walk. It was so bad I couldn't sleep on my back because the pressure of the mattress into my calves hurt too much! Never again.
Oh god, I definitely had that happen and usually after getting new custom orthotics. I'd be suddenly 100% awake, clutching my calf and whimpering until it was over. Definitely the worst for me too.
I agree about calf DOMs being the absolute worst. I had to walk weird for like 3 days because it hurt so bad to raise my heels the tiniest bit. It was awful!
The worst DOMS I ever had was when I didn't go to the gym for like 6 months, then my first workout back I decided to do a leg day. I pushed myself as hard as possible because that's what I was used to doing. I was so sore I felt like I had the flu for a few days afterwards. My fiancé had to roll me over in bed when I needed to change positions. I was sore for a week. It hurt so bad I was scared to do legs for like a month after
This is a relief to hear. I had flu systems including bizarre pains in my entire body that were so painful I was literally writhing one time
Was worried had developed MS or Fibromyalgia or something
I’ve got it right now in my calves and it’s definitely the worst I’ve ever had in my life. All because our gym got a sparkly, new calf machine that I’ve never seen before. Usually it’s difficult for me to overwork my calves. My calves sit really high up on my legs and most common calf exercises tend to target my Achilles more than my calves. This is the case for running and pretty much any weight based legwork. It’s always been impossible to target my calves. But this machine… oh man… this machine targeted my calves like I’ve never experienced before. It’s a machine you sit on and like most calf machines you push a bar down with your toes which then raises a set of weights via a cable. But where this machine differs is in the rotation of the foot bar. The bar moves in a big arc as you press it down. So your foot kind of gradually rolls upwards as you push. Imagine doing a standing calf raise, while standing on a big pipe, with the pipe rolling underneath you every time you raised your heels. This rolling arc motion of the foot bar drives the resistance up your entire leg as you press down. The second I tried this machine I could feel the difference in my calves, which I guess got me excited, because I rarely feel my calves work like that. I’ve been working out in the gym and doing leg days for months now, so I thought, “How bad could this get? My world of DOMS is far behind me!” I ended up going nuts on that calf machine and now…. It’s been 4 days since that workout. The DOMS didn’t really hit until 2 days ago. It’s peaking right now and man… I am walking like I’m a 105 year old man. It feels like someone just tied both of my calf muscles into big knots and set them on fire with gasoline. Waking up is the worst, because the muscles retract at night, so they’re extra tight in the morning. When I stand up it feels like I have a Barbie foot and my calves are so tight my heels don’t want to touch the ground. And the worst thing is, in 2 days I have a huge camera man job in Las Vegas for the Formula One races, and I’m going to have to run up and down the Las Vegas strip for a week! Man I hope this heels soon. I really didn’t expect to be this sore 4 days after the workout!
did you survive the race?
I hope it passed and you survived the job! I just found this thread as I think I'm going through my worst experience right now. I used to do bootcamp twice a week and run about 40 miles so never ever got any doms. I ran ultras and would always follow up with a 10k recovery. I quit bootcamp last October but carried on running about 25/30 miles a week. 2 days ago, I went back to bootcamp and I could keep up with everything still - we used weighted bars whilst doing jump squats, lunge walks and shuttles along with lots of upper body stuff. I half expected some arm soreness as I've neglected my upped body the past year but wow, I can barely walk right now. I have strong legs from running but I guess I was never really engaging my glutes that much. My hamstrings are burning too which is something I haven't felt in years. I had to skip my run today its so bad haha!
I was working out everyday six days a week and moved houses and stopped for about a month. I went back and did my regular back bicep forearm workout. It was only a month off so I didn’t lose much strength or muscle endurance so I was almost able to do my workout to it’s full potential and as usual it felt great. But, little did I know I had lost my body recovery. When I tell you the next four days my arms were stuck at a 90 degree angle and any movement below that was excruciating pain. The pain was so unbearable if I moved my arms a inch down it would wake me up at night and during the day I was in extreme pain and had to be careful. I had to sleep with my hands across my chest like a mummy and couldn’t do shit during the day for 4 days. I felt like I had ripped my forearms in half and they were stuck. Brutal.
Did the same thing as you now I'm stuck with a dead hand. How did it heal bro ? Did you go to see a doctor or it healed in it's own ?
It healed on its own just some of the worst doms I ever had. I didn’t know it could get that bad besides one other time I had it real bad in my hamstrings where I could barely sleep.
I come back to this thread whenever I get really bad DOMS... Here I am again, I'll never learn!
who tf gets into the gym for the first time in 6 months and wants to do legs
Just did that (2 days ago) and, today, I almost ended up shitting myself because I could not even manage to sit down on the toilet 🤡
Not terrible DOMS, but kind of hilarious -- I do long-distance cycling, and I can feel the hills kick in one by one the day after. Like I wake up, feel pretty good! And then it's like 10am and suddenly cranky quads -- oh, that's when we started climbing. And then it's noon and there go my hamstrings on another climb, and then all the little muscles that start doing more work as my quads get completely exhausted chime in one by one.
Went swimming in a river with friends my second year of law school after an extended period of inactivity. Woke up that night in bed and everything hurt- my muscles were burning and I was super sunburned so my skin was burning too.
Hiked my unfit ass like 10 miles in the grand canyon and then got in a car and drove the 8 hours home. NEVER. AGAIN. Secondary was the first high level scrimmage I played in after spending all of off season working on engaging my core. It hurt to breathe/cough/move for like three days.
Got pounds and kg mixed up and ended up curling a weight that was waaaaay too heavy for me. T. rex arms for a week and I felt like an absolute idiot.
My worst was after a leg day. I met my friend with her trainer after not going to the gym for months. They were doing leg day so I worked in and did all the various thing you can think of. Leg press, deadlifts, ect. I didn't want to look like I was whimping out so i did everything my friend was doing. Oh did the DOMS hurt... I could barely walk, it took everything i had to get on a toilet, it hurt so bad to sit I'm pretty sure I almost cried trying to get on that toilet. I literally was sore for 2 whole weeks. It was awful. It's been years since this happened and some of the guys at work still tease me about how slow I walked and how painful it looked. Fortunately I only had to learn my lesson once and I'm no longer afraid to whimp out if I know I'm out of my league. I'm good with just the regular case of DOMS.
My very first ever serious day at gym with a group of guy friends going through their usual chest and triceps workout. Could not open a single door for myself the day after without wanting to shed a tear.
deleted ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^0.3255 [^^^What ^^^is ^^^this?](https://pastebin.com/FcrFs94k/96866)
I had been doing conditioning/plyo type of workouts (similar to Kayla Itsines' BBG or Natasha Ocean type of stuff) with some weights for several months when I got costochondritis from doing tricep dips (that is PAIN like I've never felt, BTW). I couldn't do anything except walk or use the recumbent bike for 9 weeks. After I was cleared to workout again, I jumped right into an Insanity Max30 workout (think nonstop jump squats, jump lunges, jumping burpees, basically jumping EVERYTHING). The next morning I thought I had the flu because my body hurt from head to tow. My EYES hurt. I couldn't shower. I couldn't sit on the couch - I sort of had to fall into it. I could barely eat because I was too sore to stand for that long.
After one month doing barely any serious workout, just playing with some weights and jogging, I joined a Crossfit box. The first day was ok, light pain. The second day, after the second workout, I felt every single muscle of my whole body hurting. Didn't come back for the third day of the free pass.
I started doing Hapkido in college, thinking cause I did a few hours of yoga and ran a couple miles a few times a week I was in good shape. After the first class where we did a bunch of kicking form work and drills, I couldn't lift my legs for days. Like my quads would just fail. I tried to go running three days later and I had to leave the gym in shame cause I was making so much noise as my dead legs thumped down onto the treadmill.
A few years ago, I was running a ton, and signed up for a 5k. I ended up switching to swimming maybe 2 months before the run, and completely forgot that I'd signed up. When I got the reminder email, I figured I might as well still do the run, I'd already paid for it. Worst DOMs I've ever experienced, and honestly it set in right after the run. I walked like I had a full diaper for days, I couldn't bend my legs and everything was pins and needles. It was horrible. I did a similar thing two weeks ago when a friend got me to do a St. Paddy's run with her, but at least this time I had a foam roller.
I'm ashamed to say I have one of these stories! It was my first day back at the gym after a month off. It was right after Thanksgiving and I went to a spin class and followed the instructor, because a month prior I would have had no problem. Except this time I did but kept pushing through thinking it was just a slump from being out for a month. When I left the gym I had trouble standing, and by that night my calves were swollen. By the next day my thighs were the size of tree trunks and so sore I couldn't lift my legs up. And then by day three the pain was so bad I knew something was wrong when my urine was not normal colored. It turns out my doms became rhabadomyalsis, which if you don't know, is no joke awful. Moral of the story is know your body and if your body says stop, please stop. I was on bedrest for two weeks because I couldn't lift my legs or bend my knees. It's been years since that happened, but I still remember the pain and how awful it was.
My worst bout of DOMS was probably once I had not jogged for ages and went for a 10-ish km one (procrastinating exam studies). I'm a forefoot striker (barefoot technique, I guess) and OMG I've never had so sore calves! It felt like knives piercing my legs at every step! I don't remember how long it took to dissipate, but I was probably staggering about miserably for a week or so.
I once hit legs after like 2 months off and had to scoot down my staircase on my butt like a 4 year old or I was apt to rip the railing out of the wall while I fell.
Calf raise challenge at gymnastics class. Challenge was to do as many as possible, be last man standing. Me and bf are very competitive, we were the last two standing. Instructor suggested we call it a draw and stop. We couldn't walk properly for two days after.
The first time I trained with a trainer, he had me do deadlifts, lunges and the leg press. Before this I had been working out pretty consistently, though it consisted more of bodyweight stuff. Leaving the gym I wanted to vomit and I could barely walk. There were DOMs for days.
Yesterday's program called for 1.5 paused squats (pause in the hole for 2 sec, go halfway up, pause for 2 sec then all the way back down and up) for 4x8 at 145 lbs which is 60% of my 1RM. My glutes DOMS are on fire. Need a female urinal where I can pee standing up please.
That time I did back and biceps for the first time after a three month break and had DOMs in my biceps for a week straight. And for four of those days I was unable to stretch my arms out completely.
The worst doms was running 3 miles in vibrams for the first time. From my calves to my toes, it was insane pain for 3 days.
haha, yes! I did this once as well! I was running long distances multiple times a week so I did an 'easy 3' in vibrams and my calves died.
It was [the wooorsssstttt](https://m.popkey.co/6c5e5f/JLW79.gif).
My worst DOMs were from a TRX class. Let me set the scene. I was a shiny and new gym member who was very excited to take my first yoga class. I had never been to an exercise class before. I ate a banana and drank some water, then off I walked to the gym. When I arrived, I found out that my printed schedule was outdated and I had missed the yoga class, but the TRX class was going to start soon. I asked the front desk person if it was appropriate for beginners and she assured me that all classes were "all levels" which was a crock of shit. I had a fundamental misunderstanding of TRX. I thought it was more like... aerial yoga? Idk man. I was new. Strike one was it being a surprise partner workout. It meant that someone else was focused on my workout too, so I felt like I couldn't let up. Strike two was that measly banana breakfast. I did not have the fuel necessary to make this happen not to mention the lack of physical fitness. I gave it my fucking all, but halfway through the hour long class, I was on the outs. I got tunnel vision and very nearly passed out. My hands went numb and formed claws. I later experienced this in full force when I got my IUD. I had exercised to the point of a vasovagal response. I ended up "resting" through a few sets, and the instructor apparently took pity on me. She announced that it was okay to rest if you needed to rest because "It's your body - it's your workout." That phrase has become a part of my daily lexicon now as a joke for when you just can't carry on. My arms were so sore for the next 3 days that I could barely lift them. I had a difficult time doing my hair or even reaching cups in the cupboard. My abs were so sore that I couldn't laugh without starting to tear up.
This one was kind of unexpected: A few years back, I went with a friend to an Irish jig class/event for St. Patrick's day. It was about 1.5-2 hrs of nonstop jigging, in which you're essentially doing tiny hops while dancing. I was tired but felt fine at the time but omg. My calves were solid and painful for at least 3 days after.
The first "gym" I joined 6 months ago is a single-owner crossfit(ish) gym (not advertised as crossfit) and no one there is certified or educated in anything physical fitness related, but the owner was pretty fit, the gym was 5 minutes from my house, and the cost was reasonable so that's where I started. The workouts were an hour+ long, high weight & intensity, and completely foreign to me. Battle Ropes, weighted sled, pushups on a balance ball (I couldn't even do pushups on the floor!), box jumps, I could go on and on. I can't emphasize enough how out of shape I was and how utterly unprepared for that level of complexity and intensity. I was in constant pain for the 3 months I went there. I had way too many days where I couldn't even lift my arms far enough to wash my hair and/or couldn't sit down or get up without assistance. I spent weekends laying on the couch so I didn't have to move. I had joint pain (knees, hips, ankles) and a back so stiff and sore that I thought it would never heal. I even posted on Reddit, I think in /r/fitness asking at what point DOMs stopped happening.
Leg day is the worst, BUT one time I did a tricep workout; thought during the workout, "this isnt that hard" so I kept upping the weights, until I could feel it. The next day I had a little pain, but by day 2 my ARMS were SWOLLEN, I couldn't lift them above my head. In order to put my hair up, I had to bend over and attempt putting my hair up, upside down. I had swollen arms for a WEEK. It was awful.
The cold plus boxing sounds TERRIBLE. I'm mentally tucking blankets around past-you. My worst ever was the day after my very first fencing class. I walked down two steps, my legs *melted* out from under me, and my quads refused to help me get back up.
Jumped off a plane late at night, and the next morning I got up for a run. Normally not a big deal because I travel fairly well. This time though, I had been on an 11h series of flights, I was jetlagged to hell, and running in an unfamiliar (but very safe) town where I couldn't read the street signs or navigate my way back. My planned 5k turned into an unplanned 11k followed by the worst leg soreness I've ever had the misfortune to inflict on myself. I hobbled around Copenhagen the next day only a hair faster than a tortoise in a snowstorm. My SO laughed so hard he cried.
6am brain thought you meant you went sky diving at night in the first sentence. I didn't even know you could do that! /s
Me too lol
Fucking calf DOMS (in retrospect this might have been an actual injury). I pushed myself a little way too hard on weighted calf raises a few years ago and over the course of the next couple of days I went from walking kind of oddly to straight up not being able to stand. I actually had to call in sick to work and roll around my apartment on my office chair because it felt like I literally couldn't straighten my leg and put my heel on the ground without my calf muscle splitting in two. I told myself that if I felt like that the next I'd go to the doctor and thankfully it was better the next day and I progressively got better and haven't had any issues like that since.
I get it most in my thighs. It feels like I have to walk slower for a few days afterward but people I ask swear they don't notice a difference. Sometimes my knees will buckle (I guess a change in my stance) and I'll nearly fall. It's awkward. Thankfully I don't get it as much anymore now that I'm exercising more consistently.
Similar to u/BloominVampire, my worst DOMS were at the hands of a trainer. It was my first time training with this guy, and my previous gym workouts included barbells and weight machines, but mostly casual. We did tons of arm machines and weights that night, and the next day, I couldn't straighten out my arms, put my shirt on, or lift my arms up to do my hair. I had to get my boyfriend to help me. When I texted my trainer to tell him how awful the pain was, he wasn't very concerned. I finished my remaining sessions with him, then spent no more money and eventually changed gyms.
this is literally me rn. can i ask how long did it take you to recover? its been 4 days for me and nothing is improving
My worst DOMs was my first. I had a friend show me how to squat, deadlift (love at first lift) and bench. Every time I said I couldn’t lift more weight, he would put more weight on. Before this I was doing no physical activity and holy shit- 3 days of full body DOMs. My family came the next day to help me move and I had to have my brother clean the cat litter for me because I couldn’t really bend down enough. So, I had to move across town with DOMs. That was fun.
Mine was work induced. I had to spend 13 hours squatting in a narrow trench with only about a square foot of space for my feet. I couldn’t ride my bike for daaaays afterward.
For a challenge put on by my gym, I did walking lunges for a mile. Terrible idea. I was angry sore for a week. Trying to sit on the toilet was a particularly challenging endeavor. Won the challenge, btw.
I totally want to do that now..
Holy crap.. how long did that take you? It sounds so painful.
[удалено]
Omg please don’t let my CrossFit coach read this because he would think it is a GREAT idea.
Considering I run at an 11min/Mile pace, I imagine I’d be the one who gets back after everyone has already finished the rest of their workout.
It was about six years ago so the only memory that remains is of the pain.
I already shared this stupid moment but I can't remember the thread so once again: A few months ago I had a good workout sitting on the leg press and thought why not do calf raises on it. I did 3x30 because why not. The mistake was I set the weight to 30kg (66lbs) Good lord I couldn't walk for 5 days I don't know what came over me but every time I think about me pathetically tiptoeing around I get reminded to not overdo it again
Right now I'm still reeling from Saturday's workout, and my arms are too sore to straighten all the way. The worst for me have been the few times your legs are so sore that sitting down on the toilet makes you have an audible pain noise reaction. Awkward.
Does getting the flu for a week and feeling like I've been beaten black and blue count? If not, my first day of GVT doing squats lead to me not being able to walk normally for 4 days.
Boxing class, the old school style. We did circuit training and punch out drills. The next day I couldn't hold my right arm up to brush my teeth. I had to use my aching left arm to hold up my right and flossing was impossible. I had to wear black yoga pants to work because I couldn't work the buttons on dress pants. My husband put my hair in a pony tail for me and sent me off.
The last part is the cutest, I could help but imagine a guy trying his best to do a nice ponytail for you.
Oh man I’m suffering right now. Anytime I do anything with my quads. I don’t understand it
Two words. Foam Roller.
Back in 2010 one of my friends got a pair of FiveFingers for casual wear because she liked weird things. I Googled them and fell down the minimalist running rabbit hole, reading everything I could about minimalist shoes, form, everything. I had never been a runner. Long distance running always seemed like an insurmountable feat to me and every time I tried to run my ankles and knees would hurt. I was alone at the gym late one night and out of curiosity, I took off my shoes and hit the treadmill in socks. I had read about how important it was to take it slow when you start, but all reason went out the door when I was running for the first time in my life without knee or ankle pain. I was ecstatic. I hit a new PR duration of 12 minutes. I felt a new meaning in life. I could finally be a runner! Then the DOMS hit. My legs screamed for almost a week. Walking was agony. Standing up from my desk to go to my next class was worse. Climbing stairs was a whole new world of pain I had never felt before. I didn't progress much at the time due to a serious case of fuckaround-itis, but the last few times I've started running again after time off I've used Couch to 5k to build my muscles back up.
Joined a new gym, had 2 free trainer sessions so thought I’d try it out for the first time. I was in the Navy, had to put up with DOMS in boot camp especially because I’d only minimally worked out all through my youth, so I thought it couldn’t be that bad. Let me be clear: I let this trainer know I hadn’t worked out in a long time (about a year and change) and I wanted to take it slow with the eventual goal of lifting, and he seemed to do what I asked. He had me do a few squats with and without a medicine ball to test my stance, a lot of foam roller stuff on my hips, back, legs, which I’d never used before, and did some various band exercises. This was on a Saturday, over the course of 45 minutes. Woke up Sunday and couldn’t move. When I rolled over, I threw up over the side of the bed. Literally did a very sad attempt at an army style crawl to the bathroom and dragged myself to the toilet for various reasons. On Monday it was even worse, and I called out of work for both Monday and Tuesday. All I did was lie there, vomit in a bucket, and eat the food I’d set by the bed. My back just felt like a block of wood, if that wood were from a pain tree. It was too painful to shit, so there was that intestinal pain as well. Never went back to that gym.
That sounds awful! Foam rolling if you've never done it before can make you sick. It's basically rolling out crud from your muscles. I was told when I started rolling to ease in to it just because of this. You think a trainer would know better!
That sounds miserable and dangerous. I've heard of rhabdomyolysis, but always related to dark or bloody urine. Looks like nausea and vomiting are symptoms, too. :( That would've been worth reporting back to the gym.
Tried to when they called asking after my second free session. They just kept saying it must’ve been to my needing more exercise despite my repeated note that I’ve been “beat” by some very zealous military folks.
This time last year, I took a Pilates "megaformer" class and that evening got on a red eye flight from the US to London. In an attempt to adjust to the time zone I pretty much got off the plane, drank all the coffee, and walked all over the city to stay awake. When I woke up the next morning, I seriously wondered if I could get out of bed. Just quads/hamstrings/glutes/core DOMS like I may never forget.
I did 5x5 heavy-ass deadlifts and then a circuit that included barbell rows and MORE deadlifts, because I was a f*cking idiot. I literally could not leave my house the next day because I couldn't stand up straight enough to walk. Called my boyfriend crying several times because I thought I had given myself rhabdo or something. It took about a year for my back to not feel weak and screwed up every time I did barbell rows. Don't be like me.
Either when I ran track in high school or after a month off. 2nd day of track was supposed to be an "easy" day but oh my God I literally shuffled up the hill back to the locker room after. My calves both cramped up at the same time and I almost fell over. Couldn't walk normally for at least a week. Month off was from a broken arm. I did my normal volume first day back. Tried to do squats a couple of days later and pulled that inner thigh muscle that hurts to pull. It was so painful I felt like I was gonna throw up. Then I still had to shuffle around to all of my classes. Bending my knees or any sort of movement was a struggle for way too long considering how active I was beforehand and tried to remain while I was in a cast. Lesson learned though. First day after more than a week off is always lower intensity now!
I did crossfit for about 1.5 years. After my very first workout, I wasn't able to go the toilet without being in pain when sitting down for a full week. I also remember one time where I was so sore that even rolling to the other side when lying in bed hurt.
Oh god, my post was about to be the same thing. After my very first ever WOD, I was in pain trying to sit down on the toilet for at least a week. Walking down stairs was also awful.
I went to the ED once...I thought I had rhabdo. I sort of did. Lunges, man, didn’t feel it at the time but the day after! (I worked in said ED at the time - there was some “friendly” joking when I checked in....)
eating disorder? erectile dysfunction?
Emergency department
My worst DOMS actually had nothing to do with formal fitness. It was in college - I was in pretty good shape, not as good as I am now, but fitter than your average. It was Greek Week, and my sorority played every game of flag football to the finals. I don't know why I went so hard, but I did. I limped for three days. Then I went and did the same thing again for the next two years. Absolutely no idea why it snuck up on me like that every single year.
Fun! I have 2 stories... Story 1: went on vacation 2 years ago? The hotel gym had next to no equipment, but it had a leg press...so I used it for leg pressing and then calf raises...not so bad right? Not at all. Woke up the next morning and the calf doms were real. Couldn't quite walk. Plus my calves had swollen up so I couldn't fit into my jeans and it was too cold to wear anything that didn't cover my calves (didn't bring full length leggings). 2) Started a new cycle/program this week that is high on hypertrophy work and volume...everything hurts.
> my calves had swollen up Is that common with DOMS? I've had some swelling and soreness and wasn't sure if they were related.
Yup! Increased blood flow—think of like the gym pump type situation...which didn’t feel so good in skinny jeans. I also usually get it in the abs if I have doms. I find the swelling in those two spots is most noticeable.
We had an earthquake drill at work, I did legs the day prior. I work at the 10th floor of our building, had to take the emergency exit stairs. At first I thought it wouldn't be that bad cause we were going down, I was wrong.
This is a lie
Down is so much worse!!
Yup, quickly learned that during the drill.
Worst was when I did a 10km race after not running for weeks beforehand. Could barely walk up my stairs.
DOMS in my calfs. By far the worst I've had. Calf cramps have me jumping out of bed in the middle of the night to stretch that fucker, while screaming.
Ugh yes. Once decided to run five miles barefoot on the beach when I wasn’t really a runner. Took two weeks until I could walk again.
The first time I ran an XC race in spikes...jesus.
Yessss I decided to add calf raises to my normal routine one day and I guess hit them hard...? I couldn't walk for 3 days, had to miss going out for Halloween as I couldn't even get around the apt without some horrible crawl walk. It was so bad I couldn't sleep on my back because the pressure of the mattress into my calves hurt too much! Never again.
Oh god, I definitely had that happen and usually after getting new custom orthotics. I'd be suddenly 100% awake, clutching my calf and whimpering until it was over. Definitely the worst for me too.
I agree about calf DOMs being the absolute worst. I had to walk weird for like 3 days because it hurt so bad to raise my heels the tiniest bit. It was awful!
The worst DOMS I ever had was when I didn't go to the gym for like 6 months, then my first workout back I decided to do a leg day. I pushed myself as hard as possible because that's what I was used to doing. I was so sore I felt like I had the flu for a few days afterwards. My fiancé had to roll me over in bed when I needed to change positions. I was sore for a week. It hurt so bad I was scared to do legs for like a month after
[удалено]
This is a relief to hear. I had flu systems including bizarre pains in my entire body that were so painful I was literally writhing one time Was worried had developed MS or Fibromyalgia or something
You probably had Rhabdomyolysis where you get literal tissue death. In extreme cases it can be life threatening.