Severe DOMS after squats while cutting

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Background

I’m on a cut right now, which I’ve dialed in pretty well in large part due to JF’s advice in another post.

Here are some basics about me:

  • 6’0 tall. Age: mid-thirties.

  • Lifting seriously since 2015.

  • Began cutting in April 2022 at 207lbs. Weight didn’t move much.

  • Since early August, have tried hard to get accurate calorie readings. I’m eating 2200 cal/day, and hitting a protein goal of 200g/day very consistently.

  • Weighed myself this morning and hit 199.2. My first sub-200 reading in over 5 years. Content with the cut overall, and with not losing too much strength!

The Problem

I’m getting severe DOMS in my adductors after squat day on the Powerbuilding II template, which is what I’m running these days. It comes on in earnest about 36h after my squat session; the immediate day after is kinda alright. But when it hits, it hits hard, and I spend the next four or five days utterly out of commission, legs-wise. (I do my other lifts, but I can’t front squat, for instance.) As a result, my lifts are on longer than a weekly schedule. I don’t mind this in principle, but the pain is wicked bad. All it takes is having to pick something up off the floor for my thighs to feel like they’re filled with razors. I’m walking around very stiffly, and sitting down hurts.

On all other program days, I recover just fine.

What I’m Thinking

I can think of a some things to try here:

  1. Adjust squat day by reducing RPEs, number of sets, or both, to ease recovery.

  2. Keep the squats, but cut out the other lifts assigned on squat day (e.g. the RDLs).

  3. Keep Squat Day as prescribed, but dramatically increase my calorie intake on that one day alone. So e.g. maybe eating 3000 calories just on squat day.

What do you think?

Happy to provide more info if needed or helpful.

Thanks!

2

CF,

Thanks for the post and I hope you’re having a good week. Do you have a video of your squats I could take a look at by chance? In any case, I don’t think that a few hundred Calories are likely to affect the risk of getting DOMS. Rather, it sounds like the loading may need some adjustments. A video would help as well!

-Jordan

3

Hi Dr F,

I don’t have a recent squat video, no, but if the idea is just to get a sense of my current form, I’d be happy to film myself doing a light set , or a set just with the bar, once the DOMS passes (I should be good to go tomorrow by the feel of things this morning).

Would that help, or would you prefer seeing the “real thing” from an actual program squat session?

4

I don’t think a light set or empty barbell set would be instructive and I don’t think you should wait to squat until you’re DOMS-free. Rather, I would reduce the load as needed in order to stay active with DOMs.