Lactic acid, lactate threshold, lactic build up... these phrases are all banded around gyms and exercises classes around the country. But what do they really mean? What does the spin bike instructor mean when they yell "feel that lactic acid build up!" or when the fitness instructor says, "the burning sensation is just lactic acid!". Today we are going to clear up, what lactic acid is, how it effects us and what can we do to counter it.
What is Lactic Acid?
The literal definition of LA is, a colourless syrupy organic acid formed in sour milk, and produced in the muscle tissues during strenuous exercise.
During strenuous exercise, our body begins to breathe heavier and work harder, the body breathes in oxygen and produces energy. This is known as aerobic exercise, this is the body's preferred method of energy production. However sometimes the body needs to produce energy quicker than the body can breath in oxygen. This is known as anaerobic exercise.
This is where it gets slightly complicated. The muscles we have are full of a substance called glucose, which we get from our food. To get the energy from the glucose, the body breaks down the glucose using pyruvate (a naturally forming enzyme), this process is known as glycolisis. During anaerobic exercise, when oxygen consumption is low, the body changes the pyruvate into lactate, this allows the glucose to be broken down and produce energy. The human body can (on average) produce energy this way for 1 to 3 minutes before side effects begin to occur.
How does lactic acid effect us?
A side effect of the high amount of lactic in the cells is the amount of acid it produces. When in a high acidic environment the body struggles to break down the energy production. As the body struggles to break the energy down, the body will slow down, this allows the oxygen to absorb into the body and convert the lactic into pyruvate. This is important as if the muscle cells are full of lactic for too long, then permanent damage can occur (muscle tear/severe cramps).
Lactic acid doesn't not cause additional DOMS the next day, however if you push extremely hard, the muscle fibres can begin to tear which will produce soreness. It is believed that the pain caused by the lactic acid is a protective mechanism by the body, forcing it to slow down to get the appropriate levels of oxygen in.
What can we do to counter lactate build up?
There are two methods to help counter the sensation of lactic acid,
Method One: Become more aerobically fitter, this means the body is able to absorb the right amount of oxygen to help break down glucose in the body. The fitter you are, the longer the body uses pyruvate to break down the glucose (as oppose to lactate).
Method Two: Become more comfortable training anaerobically. This is tough, very tough. Sometimes you need to grin and bear the pain of the lactate acid. The longer you can withstand the burning sensation, the more easily your body will adapt to it. If you train in your anaerobic threshold, then by the time competition time comes, your body will be ready to perform at as high a rate as possible.
And that concludes our article on what is lactic acid? I hope this has cleared up any grey areas or anything you had problems understanding. If you have any questions with regards lactic acid, then please let us know! Either comment below, send us an email or follow our social media channels to let us know. If you enjoyed the article, then please feel free to join our newsletter below! Here you will be the first to receive all our amazing, FREE content as soon as it is released. We look forward to hearing from you!
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