Physiologists have been observing post-workout muscle phenomena for a long time. So far, experts have not come to a consensus on the issue of their occurrence. Learn more about this phenomenon. Muscle phenomena after stress training in bodybuilding, namely post-workout muscle stiffness and pain in them, have been observed for a long time. This problem is being discussed very vigorously by both domestic and foreign experts. Muscle phenomena include muscle soreness, weakness, and stiffness of the skeletal muscles, which appear 24 to 48 hours after completion of high-intensity training.
For beginners, such problems in most cases arise after each lesson, and for experienced athletes only after powerful shock microcycles. Although the problem of muscle phenomena has received universal recognition, there is still no consensus on the mechanisms of their occurrence. Thus, the whole complex of problems associated with muscle phenomena after stress training in bodybuilding should be considered.
Causes of Muscle Phenomena
Most experts agree that the main cause of muscle phenomena is eccentric contraction, or more simply, negative exercise repetitions. It should be said that the phenomena can be observed in other cases, but it is with eccentric contractions that they are regular.
Thanks to numerous experiments, scientists have been able to prove that painful sensations in the muscles appear after eccentric contractions. It was also found that when performing exercises in the eccentric phase without providing the body with sufficient recovery time, muscle strength indicators are significantly reduced.
It should be noted that such training can lead to overtraining and muscle congestion. In connection with the results of these studies, many experts believe that athletes should exclude negative training with submaximal weights from their training programs. However, this cannot mean that such activities should be avoided altogether. They can be used by athletes, but this should be done in multiple repetitions if the working weight of the weights is between 10 and 120% of the maximum. Also, you should not use this type of training in every weekly training cycle.
Some experts, on the contrary, are confident in the effectiveness of negative training. An example is Arthur Jones, the creator of the famous Nautilus simulator. He is confident that negative training is significantly superior in efficiency to the classically eccentric-concentric training. In his opinion, it is the appearance of pain after negative training that speaks in his favor.
And, according to James E. Wright, without negative training, it is generally impossible to significantly increase strength indicators. But still, most of the experts are not in a hurry with such categorical statements. As mentioned above, no consensus has yet been found on the main causes of the onset of muscle phenomena, but the mechanism of their development has been established.
The mechanism of occurrence of muscle phenomena
The mechanisms of the occurrence of post-workout pain in the muscles have been discussed for a very long time. The most significant research in this area was the work of Thomas Howe, who published the results of his observations back in 1902. Several decades later, a hypothesis was put forward about the connection between muscle pain and myoglobin found in urine.
As you know, myoglobin is the main transport of oxygen to the muscle tissue. This substance is excreted after any muscular activity, even in the absence of pain. Thus, scientists began to tend to the idea that muscle pain after exercise occurs as a result of micro-tissue damage, which was confirmed by later experiments.
It was also found that muscle tissue is damaged as a result of the destruction of proteins in tissue cells, the accumulation of phagocytes (cells whose task is to destroy foreign cells), as well as erythrocytes inside muscle cells.
The theory of injuries to muscle tissue fibers when they perform negative repetitions looks very logical, for the reason that at this moment only a part of the fibers is involved in the work. This leads to more stress at the time of lowering the weights, which not all fibers can tolerate.
How to reduce the impact of muscle phenomena on muscle tissue?
Also, quite a lot of disagreements remain in the optimization of the training process to reduce the negative impact on the performance of athletes from muscle phenomena. However, some tips can be given here:
- Try to avoid negative repetitions in the initial phases of training;
- Do stretching exercises before and after the session;
- If pain occurs in the muscles and their stiffness, the load should be reduced until the pain disappears;
- Observe a rest and sleep regimen;
- After completing a training session, it is recommended to use moderate calming exercises, such as walking or an exercise bike;
- Do not increase the working weight and intensity of classes before the third or fourth session;
- Beginner athletes should avoid negative training.
Of course, muscle phenomena after stress training in bodybuilding are quite a serious and urgent problem. Their research continues, and in the near future, scientists may be able to find answers to all the questions that interest us. In the meantime, we can advise you to use the above recommendations.
For more information on post-workout muscle stiffness and other muscle phenomena, see this video:
