Warm-Ups Prevent Muscle Soreness

Here are two academic articles about delayed onset muscle soreness, or “DOMS.” Both are available from the National Institute of Health. Along with the information and links below, we’ve included quotations from each of their conclusions, which confirm the effectiveness of warming-up before exercise to prevent DOMS

“The Effect of Warm-Up and Cool-Down Exercise on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness in the Quadriceps Muscle: a Randomized Controlled Trial” by Olav Olsen, Mona Sjøhaug, Mireille van Beekvelt, and Paul Jarle Mork. Department of Human Movement Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

From the summary: “This study indicates that aerobic warm-up exercise performed prior to resistance exercise may prevent muscle soreness at the central but not distal muscle regions, but it does not prevent loss of muscle force.”

“Warm-up reduces delayed onset muscle soreness but cool-down does not: a randomised controlled trial.” by R.Y. Law and R.D. Herbert. The University of Sydney, Australia.

From the summary: “Warm-up performed immediately prior to unaccustomed eccentric exercise produces small reductions in delayed-onset muscle soreness but cool-down performed after exercise does not.”

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