“If you’re doing an eccentric drop squat, for example, the downward motion of the squat is the eccentric phase for the hamstrings. You can work with different tempos of movement to manipulate how much eccentric and concentric exercise you undertake. It’s why you often hear trainers talking about ‘tempo’.”

Why do I get DOMS quickly?

Unfortunately, the timings of DOMS hasn’t been well studied. “DOMS is as it says in the name – it is a delayed onset soreness and can come after a delayed period of time after exercise, say from anywhere between six hours and 72 hours,” says Dr Christopher. “I don’t think immediate or fast DOMS are any concern, and often are a sign of muscle fatigue rather.”

But that’s not to say it’s necessarily a good sign either. “The DOMS we get can be personal and depend on experience,” she explains.

If you’re feeling really sore, you might want to check that you haven’t picked up an injury (although pain is different to soreness, so you’ll most likely know). Dr Christopher notes that general guidelines for timing are based on studies that report on a “homogenous group of people, but our own personal response to exercise is still meaningful”. Just because the studies say it takes 12 hours doesn’t mean you won’t get DOMS in 11, especially after new or strenuous activity.

DOMS: how soon after exercise should you *really* start to feel sore?

DOMS: how soon after exercise should you really start to feel sore?