Instant Onset Muscle Soreness

[XTanuki]

Hi Coach,

Not an urgent matter, but more of a curiosity. A couple of months ago I was doing squat warmups, beginning with two sets of just the bar, when after the second set my legs were full-on stiff and sore. Not so much fatigued, but more the full-on walking funny soreness like one would experience a day or two after working too hard. Despite the soreness, I completed all of my warmup and work sets (295x3x5) and everything recovered by the next workout. I asked over on the reddit page and one other person had experienced the same thing, and I saw it come up again recently.

Have you ever seen anything like this before and/or have an explanation for it? It was just really odd. I chose the title to highlight the similarity of the symptoms to DOMS as opposed to simply fatigued muscles.

Andrew

[Mark Rippetoe]

Never heard of this.

[quikky]

Were you sick shortly before that workout? I've had a similar thing happen once after coming off a bad cold. My quads just felt sore and a bit painful during squats for the first few workouts after the illness.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Diet?

[XTanuki]

Were you sick shortly before that workout? I've had a similar thing happen once after coming off a bad cold. My quads just felt sore and a bit painful during squats for the first few workouts after the illness.

I was well rested (Monday workout) and eating healthy, no illness either. Was limited to just the one workout. Went and checked some of the other posts (as well as mine) and it was more limited to quads. Form wise, for me, I know I was a bit forward at this time as my heels were coming up a bit; however, I had been like this for a while.

[Jimidasprinkla]

Does it feel exactly like DOMS? Even if you're already really sore, this will usually go away once you warm up.

Reason I ask is sometimes I get a really severe ache along the front of my left thigh between squat sets, so bad I want to puke at times. I get a limp just like you. It feels different than DOMS though. More diffuse. I always figured it was a nerve getting lit up.

I still finish my fives. It passes pretty quickly. Deadlifts seem to fix it right away, usually after my first warmup set. Go figure.

[Dutch]

I've had this happen a few times, but usually after more time than usual between squat sessions ( a week as opposed to 2 or 3 days rest), or after tinkering with technique (widening stance width). Usually adductors. Also experienced this in the long head of my triceps during deadlifts. Weights were however at or near worksets weights.

[David Kirkham]

How old we you? Are you taking statins?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I think he was already sore and didn't know it. Probably. But still not interesting.

[Scaldrew]

I had a similar experience last year when on my first day back from having the flu. I squatted a weight that I maybe wasn't ready to squat and I instantly felt my quads cramp up and get kind of sore. The bar speed wasn't terrible so I kept going and finished 3 sets across, nbd, but I was shaking under the bar and the cramps were certainly an unwelcome distraction. I had eaten as little as absolutely nothing while I was ill and lost 3kg in about a day of vomitting, so I think that contributed.

I've had DOMS accrue during a workout before, too, but I chocked it up to soreness from earlier workouts in the week, like Rip says. It never impacted training or recovery and it never persisted, so I didn't bother to ask.