Part of our Workout Recovery guide library.
Short answer: Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) typically develops 24 to 72 hours after a hard or unfamiliar workout, peaks around 48 to 72 hours, and can last about a week, with most people noticing less pain within 5 to 7 days. Soreness is not a reliable sign of muscle growth: in a study where one group got very sore and the other did not, both gained the same muscle size and strength. See a health care provider if soreness lasts longer than a week or keeps getting worse.
You did a new class or pushed harder than usual, and two days later even sitting down hurts. How long will it last, and does all that soreness at least mean you are building muscle? Here is what the research says.
What you'll learn
- The typical DOMS timeline, day by day
- What makes soreness last longer
- Whether soreness means your muscles are growing
- How to recover faster, and when soreness is not normal
How long does DOMS last?
| Time after the workout | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| During and right after | Little or no soreness; muscles may feel tired |
| 24 to 72 hours | Soreness develops (Mágero et al., 2026) |
| 48 to 72 hours | Soreness typically peaks (Hotfiel et al., 2018) |
| 5 to 7 days | Most people notice much less pain; DOMS can last about a week (HPRC) |
| More than a week, or getting worse | Not typical DOMS; see a medical provider (HPRC) |
The delay is part of what defines DOMS. It reflects small-scale (ultrastructural) damage to muscle fibers followed by local inflammation and repair, which takes time to build (Hotfiel et al., 2018).
What makes soreness worse or longer
- Eccentric movements. Lowering a weight, running downhill or the lowering phase of a squat cause micro-injury more often and more severely than other muscle actions (Cheung et al., 2003).
- Doing something new. DOMS is most common when you return after a break or start an unfamiliar type of activity (Cheung et al., 2003).
- Intensity and duration. Harder and longer sessions are important factors in how much soreness develops (Cheung et al., 2003).
The good news: one bout of a new exercise protects your muscles against damage from the same exercise next time, an adaptation called the repeated bout effect (McHugh, 2003). That is why the second week of a new program usually hurts far less than the first.
Is DOMS a sign of muscle growth?
Not really. Soreness tells you that a workout was new or unusually hard for those muscles, not that they will grow more. Two studies make the point:
- Same gains without the pain. In an 8-week eccentric cycling program, one group eased in gradually and avoided noticeable muscle damage, while the other started with a damaging session and reported more soreness and over five times higher levels of creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage. Both groups gained the same muscle size, and strength rose by 25% and 26% (Flann et al., 2011).
- Early damage is not growth. In a 10-week resistance training study, muscle protein building after the first sessions, when damage was highest, was not related to muscle growth. It only tracked growth once muscle damage had faded, at weeks 3 and 10 (Damas et al., 2016).
In other words, muscles grow from consistent training over weeks. You can build muscle with little soreness, and chasing soreness can just mean more time feeling beat up.
How to recover faster
A 2018 meta-analysis of 99 studies found that massage was the most effective method for reducing soreness and perceived fatigue, and that active recovery, compression garments, water immersion, contrast water therapy and cold exposure also reduced soreness to some degree (Dupuy et al., 2018). Light exercise also eases soreness, although the relief is temporary (Cheung et al., 2003).
If you need to train while sore, a sports medicine review suggests lowering intensity and duration for 1 to 2 days, or working less-affected body parts (Cheung et al., 2003). For a step-by-step plan, see should you work out with sore muscles?.
When soreness is not normal
See a medical provider if pain lasts more than a week or gets worse (HPRC). Go to an emergency room right away for severe muscle pain with swelling or weakness and dark, tea- or cola-colored urine, which can signal rhabdomyolysis, a serious breakdown of muscle tissue (HPRC; MedlinePlus).
Sharp pain in one spot, pain that starts suddenly during exercise, or noticeable swelling and bruising also point to an injury rather than DOMS.
Common myths (quick reality check)
Myth: No soreness means the workout did not work. Reality: As your muscles adapt, the same workout causes less soreness. Muscle and strength gains can happen with little or no soreness.
Myth: More soreness means more muscle growth. Reality: In one study, a group with much more soreness and muscle damage gained the same size and strength as a group that avoided it.
Myth: DOMS is caused by lactic acid. Reality: Lactic acid is one of several old theories. Current reviews point mainly to small-scale muscle fiber damage followed by inflammation and repair.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How long does DOMS last?
DOMS typically develops 24 to 72 hours after a hard or unfamiliar workout, peaks around 48 to 72 hours, and can last about a week. Most people notice less pain within 5 to 7 days.
Is DOMS a sign of muscle growth?
No. Soreness shows that a workout was new or unusually hard, not that muscles will grow more. In one study, a very sore group and a non-sore group gained the same muscle size and strength.
Why am I more sore 2 days after a workout?
That is normal for DOMS. Soreness usually peaks around 48 to 72 hours after exercise because the repair and inflammation process takes time to build.
Can DOMS last longer than a week?
Typical DOMS lasts about a week. If soreness lasts longer than a week or keeps getting worse, see a medical provider, as it may be an injury or another problem.
What helps DOMS go away faster?
In a meta-analysis of 99 studies, massage was the most effective method for soreness and fatigue, and active recovery, compression and cold water also helped. Light exercise eases soreness for a while.
Related guides
- What helps sore muscles after a workout?
- Should you work out with sore muscles?
- Is post-workout inflammation good or bad?
- Turmeric and curcumin for workout recovery
- Curcumin vs ibuprofen for muscle soreness
- Turmeric vs tart cherry, omega-3s and ice baths
Disclaimer and when to seek help
This article is for general education and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Seek medical care right away for dark or cola-colored urine, severe muscle pain or swelling, or soreness that lasts longer than a week or keeps getting worse.
References
- Mágero NRL, et al. "Imaging characterization and differential diagnosis of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in athletes." Skeletal Radiology, 2026. doi:10.1007/s00256-026-05292-2
- Hotfiel T, et al. "Advances in delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS): Part I: pathogenesis and diagnostics." Sportverletzung Sportschaden, 2018;32(4):243-250. doi:10.1055/a-0753-1884
- Cheung K, Hume P, Maxwell L. "Delayed onset muscle soreness: treatment strategies and performance factors." Sports Medicine, 2003;33(2):145-164. doi:10.2165/00007256-200333020-00005
- Flann KL, et al. "Muscle damage and muscle remodeling: no pain, no gain?" Journal of Experimental Biology, 2011;214(Pt 4):674-679. doi:10.1242/jeb.050112
- Damas F, et al. "Resistance training-induced changes in integrated myofibrillar protein synthesis are related to hypertrophy only after attenuation of muscle damage." Journal of Physiology, 2016;594(18):5209-5222. doi:10.1113/JP272472
- McHugh MP. "Recent advances in the understanding of the repeated bout effect." Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2003;13(2):88-97. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0838.2003.02477.x
- Dupuy O, et al. "An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation: a systematic review with meta-analysis." Frontiers in Physiology, 2018;9:403. doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.00403
- Human Performance Resources by CHAMP (HPRC), Uniformed Services University. "Reduce Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness After Workouts". March 23, 2020.
- MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine). "Rhabdomyolysis".
