“The Glorious Pain”: Attaining Pleasure and Gratification in Times of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) among Gym Goers

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a widely known phenomenon among gym goers. For many of them, experiencing DOMS the day after working out in the gym is often perceived as rewarding and something of which to brag and be proud. Although existing work within the biomedical field has undoubtedly shed light on coping with and managing DOMS, there remains little in-depth qualitative research on the gym goer’s lived experience regarding this phenomenon. Following Becker’s conceptual framework of using marihuana for pleasure, the article will examine the way gym goers learn to attain pleasure and gratification in times of DOMS through a process of reframing and socialization. Ethnographic research was conducted for two years in two gyms, using a combination of participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Findings illustrate three coherent stages a novice gym goer experiences while becoming an experienced gym goer and enjoying DOMS: (1) learning the proper “working-out” technique required to experience positive effects; (2) recognizing the effects of DOMS and their connection with the workout; and (3) enjoying the effects of DOMS caused by working out. Moreover, once gym goers manage to change the definition of negative sensations and interpret them as enjoyable, DOMS often becomes an indispensable experience that has to be religiously pursued. In this context, the audience in front of which the gym goers perform their DOMS serves as a “front region of behavior” for gaining social recognition by instrumentalizing their pain to strengthen and solidify their gym goer identity.