This one has been troubling me for a while. After a session at the gym, I often feel fine that night, fine the next day… but ouch! sore the day after that.
Today, for example, my lats are so sore that I’m avoiding lifting my arms past shoulder height. I’m also trying not to swing my arms backwards (remember that Seinfeld episode featuring the woman who wouldn’t swing her arms while walking – well today, that’s me!)
I expected some degree of soreness – I took a three week break from gym work while I went overseas – but not two days after doing the work. (Incidentally, I always stretch between sets and try not to push myself too far beyond my limits.)
Is this unusual? Is it easily explained?
Any ideas, oh GQers?
It’s completely normal. If you’re doing heavy weight lifting then you are damaging the muscles. The pain you feel is a signal to not damage the muscle anymore-pain is a cautionary device the body uses to stop itself.
If you’re trying to build muscle then this is excellent-the more it hurts, the more you’re damaging the muscle and the more it can grow stronger and bigger. If you’re only doing high-rep stuff then the pain will go away-especially if you stay with the same weight.
That you only feel sore only two days later is a bit puzzling to me, are you sure this is all the time? What kind of a workout are you doing?
Perhaps, after three weeks off, you pushed your body too far. Even though your workout was what you normally do, after nearly a month off, it probably would have been best to not work out as hard and gradually ease back into your routine.
If you regularly feel sore post exercise, it’s possible you are overdoing it. What’s your current routine, and how long have you been at it?
I should have said just do a google for DOMS or the full name because there is a ton of info. Just so you don’t think 2 days is an unusually long amount of time to begin to feel symptoms:
http://physiotherapy.curtin.edu.au/community/educational_resources/ep552_97/DOMS.html
Hmmmmm… What are you doing in the gym??
I went through two weeks of pain after starting yoga last year, but no more after that, because I kept it up. Then I went to Pilates and it hurt a bit to do things I’d never done before, but it didn’t last long either. Now I do water aerobics and there’s no pain after.
Re my routine: I have a low reps, high intensity weight routine, which was set by my trainer about three months ago. I’ve continued a similar routine for about 9 months all up.
KidCharlemagne: thanks a bunch for that link. DOMS would seem to describe my condition very well:
There’s some guidance in the article regarding treatment and prevention, which looks very useful.
Ironically, the article you link to is on the website of a university not 10 minutes from my house, here in Western Australia. 
Thanks for the replies, everyone.