Ask the Personal Trainer Joni Hyde is a Certified Personal Trainer and owner of WorkoutsForWomen.com Q. I've found a lot of info about muscle soreness after workouts. I'm curious about the opposite. My brother, sister and I, all in mid-late 40's, were talking today after completing a 4 mile hike (2 mi. up/2 mi. down) in Colorado listed on trail guides as "strenuous". Our fitness levels vary from very fit to "overweight but walk some/never done a trail like that before/moved here from the flatlands 2 mos ago". None of us are sore today. I just knew there would be some major soreness somewhere. We all discovered that none of us generally experience muscle soreness...all our lives. Each report an occasion where some "new" group of muscles were sore (ex. shins after the first 2-mi downhill walk of a lifetime) several years ago. What do you think this means? - Cindy A. From what I can gather, your are writing this question on the same day that you completed your 4 mile hike. The phenomenon in question is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), which is first noticed 24 to 48 hours after the activity. To start with, lets look at the cause of DOMS. It is caused by performing eccentric work in a muscle which you are unaccustomed to using in such a way, such as walking down a hill. The muscle concerned may be very fit and strong, but if it has not been used eccentrically, then DOMS will result. More often DOMS is associated with any exercise after a lay off, but it is the eccentric element that does the damage. Light eccentric exercise protects against DOMS by producing a change in central nervous control which has been shown to be the most effective, if not the only way, to prevent DOMS. It's possible that some activity that you and your siblings take part in have trained your muscles in this way, thus preventing DOMS. On the other hand, you stated that none of you had ever experienced any symptoms of DOMS before, and that may be because you lived in the flatlands for years and never eccentrically worked your muscles. I'd be interested to know if you and your siblings did experience muscle soreness within a day or so of writing me. Other recently asked questions: • My last delivery was by c-section. I just can’t seem to regain my lower stomach muscles, are there any exercises to target this area? • Is a slow jog enough to give me a cardio workout? • What kind of things can I do to get the most overall body workout in the pool? • Are there exercises which are safe during pregnancy? WorkoutsForWomen.com provides home exercise programs for today's busy women, under the guidance of a certified personal trainer.