NUTRITION & RECOVERY

How to Speed Up Recovery from DOMS

Muscle soreness peaks at 24–72 hours and is a normal training response. What works, what does nothing, and how to tell it from injury.

August 5, 20265 min read

Delayed-onset muscle soreness is the normal response to eccentric work — the kind jumping is full of. It peaks at 24–72 hours, and while you cannot make it disappear, you can speed the recovery and avoid making it worse.

What actually works

Four interventions with evidence behind them:

Light active recovery: 15–20 minutes of low-intensity cycling or walking improves blood flow.
Adequate sleep: growth hormone pulses during slow-wave sleep are the natural repair window.
Protein intake: 20–40 g every 3–4 hours continuously feeds repairing muscle.
Foam rolling or massage: moderate pressure reduces perceived soreness.

What does not help

Ice baths may blunt hypertrophy adaptations, NSAIDs suppress protein synthesis, and stretching does not reduce DOMS. Skip all three unless a professional prescribes them.

DOMS vs injury

DOMS is normal and fades in 48–72 hours. Sharp pain, one-sided pain or joint pain is not DOMS — treat it as an injury signal.

Key takeaways

Active recovery, sleep, protein and foam rolling speed DOMS recovery.
Ice baths, NSAIDs and stretching do not help and may hurt adaptation.
Sharp, one-sided or joint pain is not DOMS.

References

Cheung et al. (2003) Sports Med
Jäger et al. (2017) J Int Soc Sports Nutr
Barnett (2006) Sports Med

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