If you've ever trained with weights you probably have (or will) experience this phenomenon. You wake up a day or two after your session and can't make it down the stairs! Yikes, everything hurts! You think to yourself... "What did I do yesterday?!" It may have been 18-24 hours early when you begin that new workout your trainer gave you, or you finally added the extra weight you knew your could be lifting. Delayed onset muscle soreness most after occurs after a new or especially strenuous exercise session.

Scientists do not know the exact reason for the pain associated with DOMS, but many hypotheses try to explain the phenomenon. One theory is that inflamed and swollen muscle fibers press on pain receptors and alert the brain to register pain. Another theory suggests that the inflammatory cells (phagocytes) that come to clean up the damaged tissue further damage the tissue, which leads to pain. Still another theory surmises that the free radicals (molecules that are highly reactive and harmful in the body) produced by the inflammatory cells aggravate the already existing damage, causing pain. Most likely a combination of all these factors contributes to the pain of DOMS.

It was once believed the pain we feel in our muscles was a result of the build up of lactic acid. Not true! Come to find out lactic acid actually dissipates rather quickly after the workout.

Any new or challenging movement can lead to DOMS but it seems that the eccentric phase, the lowering of the weight, is the real culprit. This seems to be because in this motion the muscles are both being stressed as well as lengthened creating more of the microscopic tears that will eventually lead to muscle growth.

Now dot let this top you from completing this type of motion, or trying to breeze by it. The eccentric phase is extremely important, especially for women. Women tend to be stronger in this phase than men -- so let's take advantage of it:)

The best treatment for DOMS is obviously prevention. So, here are some suggestions to keep in mind next you train.

~Warm up toughly and cool down completely before and after you session.

~When beginning a new activity start gradually and build up your time and intensity no more than ten percent per week.

~Hire a personal trainer if you aren't sure how to start a workout program that is safe and effective.

~Start a new weight lifting routine with light weights and high reps (10-12) and gradually increase the amount you lift over several weeks.

~Avoid making sudden major changes in the type of exercise you do.

~Avoid making sudden major changes in the amount of time that you exercise.

~You defiantly do want to change your resistance-training program fairly often, however. Just ease into it to avoid any pain that may prevent you from getting out of bed and back into the gym the next day!

If you do end up with a case of the DOMS you can try these tips for recovery....

~Wait. Soreness will go away in 3 to 7 days with no special treatment.

~Try an Ice Bath or Epsom Salt soak. Although no clear evidence proves they are effective, many pro athletes use them and claim they work to reduce soreness.

~Use active recovery techniques. Take a long, slow walk or hike, for example. This strategy does have some support in the research. Perform some easy low-impact aerobic exercise to increase blood flow. This may help diminish muscle soreness.

~Use the RICE method of treating injuries.

~Although research doesn't find the stretching reduces soreness, some people find it simply feels good.

~Book a massage! Gently massage the affected muscles. Some research has found that massage was effective in reducing DOMS by approximately 30% and reducing swelling, but it had no effects on muscle function.

~There is some evidence that performing Yoga may reduce DOMS.

~Avoid any vigorous activity that increases pain.

~Allow the soreness to subside thoroughly before performing any vigorous exercise.

And to those of you who like the DOMS (and I know you are out there)and think it's the sign of a great workout - remember to be careful and that you can achieve great gains without the pain, really.