diff --git a/src/coreComponents/physicsSolvers/contact/SolidMechanicsLagrangeContact.cpp b/src/coreComponents/physicsSolvers/contact/SolidMechanicsLagrangeContact.cpp
index e181293615b..6a06e7e1dc2 100644
--- a/src/coreComponents/physicsSolvers/contact/SolidMechanicsLagrangeContact.cpp
+++ b/src/coreComponents/physicsSolvers/contact/SolidMechanicsLagrangeContact.cpp
@@ -196,7 +196,6 @@ void SolidMechanicsLagrangeContact::initializePreSubGroups()
   if( m_useLocalYieldAcceleration )
   {
     GEOS_LOG_LEVEL_RANK_0( 1, GEOS_FMT( "{}: local yield acceleration enabled", getName() ) );
-    initializeAccelerationVariables( domain );
   }
 
 }
@@ -220,6 +219,11 @@ void SolidMechanicsLagrangeContact::setupSystem( DomainPartition & domain,
   {
     createPreconditioner( domain );
   }
+
+  if( m_useLocalYieldAcceleration )
+  {
+    initializeAccelerationVariables( domain );
+  }
 }
 
 void SolidMechanicsLagrangeContact::implicitStepSetup( real64 const & time_n,