Aerialists, has this ever happened to you? You wake up one morning and part of your body hurts. You start thinking back across the activities you’ve done in the past few days and wonder, “am I just sore from my workout, or did I mess something up?!” We’ve likely all felt muscle soreness after aerial training at some point, but have you ever stopped to consider the difference between “just being sore” and pain from injury? Where do you draw the line?
For some injuries it’s fairly obvious, like when something traumatic or unexpected happens during training (i.e., you roll an ankle absentmindedly stepping off a mat). But what about those more insidious pains where you can’t look back on your practice and pinpoint what caused the discomfort? To answer this question, it helps to understand just what soreness really is, and the basic science of pain. That knowledge can also help guide you on whether to press on in your safe aerial training, or whether it’s time to see a professional!
Let’s start by discussing the discomfort you feel in your muscles while actively training. The “burn” you feel in your arms while climbing or holding a Lock Off, or the fatigue you feel in your abs while doing conditioning, is mainly due to the buildup and subsequent breakdown of lactic acid into lactate and hydrogen ions. This is a byproduct of your cells converting glucose into energy. The accumulation of the hydrogen ions creates a more acidic environment, which is what we’re experiencing when we “feel the burn.” The lactate gets recycled to be used as fuel for the muscles. In fact, blood lactate levels typically return to baseline within 30 minutes to an hour of activity.
But what about the sore muscles that we still feel days after a tough practice? Many people continue to blame lactic acid, but since we know that the body clears lactate quite efficiently, it must be something else. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS in aerial arts) is the term for pain we feel in our muscles 24-72 hours after an intense exercise. This type of soreness is the result of “exercise induced muscle damage,” or microtears in the muscle fibers, and the resulting inflammation.
Though the terms “microtears,” “damage,” and “inflammation” can sound scary, DOMS is seldom a cause for alarm. In fact, triggering the inflammation and repair response in your muscles sends a signal to your body that that area needs strengthening so it can handle similar loads better in the future. In response to the stress of training, the muscle fibers adapt and remodel, and the body sends more resources to that area to promote muscle growth. (It is important to note that this happens in response to using your muscles regardless of whether your workout results in DOMS or not. Exercise is NOT a “no pain, no gain” situation.)
· Movements that are unfamiliar to your body, like a new skill or conditioning drill.
· Eccentric muscle contractions. Also known as “working the negatives,” eccentric contractions mean the muscles are contracting while lengthening. Examples of eccentric exercises are lowering down slowly from a lock off to a straight arm hang, or coming out of an inversion slowly, with control.
· Strenuous exercise. Simply doing more than your muscles are accustomed to, whether it’s more repetitions, longer duration, or greater overall volume, can be considered strenuous exercise.
DOMS is often felt more in the belly of the muscle than in a particular joint. It’s the kind of soreness that you may not notice at rest, but when you get up to move after inactivity, you notice that your body is stiff and/or painful. Oftentimes that stiffness/soreness eases with continued gentle movement, and you may not notice it much until you find yourself getting up from a period of rest once again. However, heavier activities may feel more difficult during this 24-72 hour period while your muscles are experiencing inflammation and going through the repair process.
A good guideline to follow is that if you are having to alter the way you naturally move in order to avoid your pain, it is probably best to take a pause from those activities and give your body a chance to recover. Otherwise, active recovery is usually recommended for general DOMS. This means you should continue with gentle movement and mild stretching. A light massage to the affected areas can also help. Hot or cold therapy, such as resting in a warm bath or using gel cold packs, may offer some relief as well.
Sometimes we know immediately when we’ve caused ourselves injury, especially in the case of something traumatic (like when a body part doesn’t move in the direction or amplitude we anticipated during a skill). But some injuries are more insidious…they kind of just sneak up on you and you can’t pin-point the cause. How do we know if it’s time to seek out a professional for help?
Oftentimes, pain at rest is an indicator that it’s more than just muscle soreness causing your pain. So, if you’re hurting even when you’re kicked back on the couch the next day, that would be a red flag. If the pain is closer to the joint than the muscle belly, or if it is particularly intense or persists for longer than 3 days, these are also indicators it may be more than just DOMS. Visible signs such as bruising, redness, and swelling can also point to more serious injury. As an important side note, if you cannot recreate your pain with a particular movement, there’s a greater chance that it is not a musculoskeletal issue, and a visit to a physician is advised to rule out visceral involvement. For example, kidney pain can be mistaken for low back muscle soreness, and some shoulder pain could actually indicate a heart issue.
Muscle soreness is a common side effect of many physical activities, including aerial training. While it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve done something “wrong,” there are ways to minimize it.
Proper warm-up and cool-down routines are a great place to start. Check out our Ground Drills for muscle prep and mobility ideas tailored to aerialists.
These routines are foundational to aerial injury prevention and improving performance. Make sure you’re spending at least 10 minutes at the beginning of your training session warming up. Focus on the body parts you’re going to use the most, and move those joints, gently, through their full range of motion. The goal is to increase your heart rate (and subsequently your blood flow and body temperature) to prepare your soft tissues for the work ahead. Warm tissues are more pliable, and less likely to experience strains and sprains.
Once practice is over, spend a few minutes performing an active cool down. The continued increased blood flow to the muscles aids in delivering the resources the body needs to repair any tissue damage. It also prevents pooling of blood in the extremities and helps sweep away waste products so you return to baseline more efficiently.
Check out the Ground Drills and Class Planning sections at AerialFitOnline for ideas on how to incorporate movements in your aerial warm up and cool down routines tailored to the skills you’re training. Explore our Warm-Up & Cool-Down tutorials to improve recovery and prevent injury.
It’s also crucial to master the basics before moving on to more complex skills. Each tutorial includes Building Blocks to help you master the foundations safely. The stronger your foundations, the less strain you’ll put on your body when trying something new. Becoming proficient with these first reduces the likelihood of DOMS and injury.
It’s also a good idea not to overdo it with a new skill on day one. Try it a few times, then see how your body responds over the next few days. You may be surprised at what makes you sore even when you didn’t feel like it was particularly difficult in the moment.
Stay consistent in your training. Sudden increases in intensity or volume are major causes of muscle soreness after aerial training. If you’re without access to a rig, try Ground Classes—they activate many of the same movement patterns and can help you stay conditioned.
Some studies suggest nutrition plays a role in recovery. Eating a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet can help minimize soreness and support healing.
