In this article I will discuss lactic acid: how it is formed and how it plays a role in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). I will explain what DOMS is, why it happens and what the research shows on how to help ease the pain.
For me, no matter how long I have been exercising; my legs always kill me two days after squats. Part of the reason is, as much as I love to workout, I hate squat days. There are those blessed few who just love crawling out of the squat rack and throwing up in the trash can before the next set (and that's if you do it right).
As much as I hate to admit this, if I can find a reason to "miss" that workout I will. It isn't that I have huge legs and don't think that I need to. It just isn't fun for me. I get no "joy in mudville" when I know it is leg day.
I tend to always find a way to make it into a leg press day instead. I can push a lot more weight that way and feel better. I just haven't gotten anymore size in my legs by doing them. I know I have to just suck it up and squat before I will get any larger.
I am working each body part twice a week, and I rotate my workouts, but only hit squats one time during the week so if I miss a squat workout it might be two weeks without a squat day.
I can always find new muscles in my legs that haven't been used and will get recruited for that next squat routine; hence soreness over the next few days. It makes it so much better when my daughter decides that just then is the best time to run and dive onto my lap when I am sitting on the couch.
I think that she tracks my workouts better than I do and has it down to a science. She either loves me a lot or she is sadistic and really loves to see me in pain.