1. Muscle pain experienced after a workout, called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), is normal and usually develops several hours after exercise as muscle fibers are damaged. 2. Exercises that induce DOMS often involve eccentric (lengthening) muscle contractions like walking downstairs or lifting dumbbells. 3. While DOMS causes muscle function decreases and is considered an indicator of muscle damage, very few muscle fibers are actually destroyed. DOMS is not a sign to avoid further exercise and can be helped with massage.