How To Prevent Lactic Acid Build Up

Lactic acid is a pain. Actually, more like a burning sensation. But you get the picture. Lactic acid is a by-product of strenuous exercise. Your muscles are always naturally producing lactate, however when you’re training, hitting a higher number of reps, or pushing through 100kcal on the Assault bike, your body produces lactate at a faster rate than it can be removed, otherwise known as your lactate threshold, or the upper limit of your exercise capacity. Too much lactate in your blood, produces a burning sensation, which follows with a loss of power. This of course can be problematic for athletes, since the person who can hold off lactic acid the longest, will have better performance. We’re going to talk about the process by which lactic acid is generated and how to delay muscle fatigue by counteracting and preventing your lactic acid buildup.

Why Does Lactic Acid Build Up In Your Muscles?

As your heart rate begins to rise, your breathing will become heavier and faster, shuttling more oxygen into your muscles. Your body generates energy, while performing aerobic exercise or exercise “with oxygen”. Some exercise modalities however, such as repeatedly lifting heavy objects off the ground, requires more energy production faster than your body can adequately deliver oxygen. As this takes place, your body starts to produce energy anaerobically "without oxygen" – generating energy from glucose from the carbohydrates you consume, through a process called glycolysis. Glucose is broken down or metabolized into a substance called pyruvate through a series of biological reactions. If your body has a sufficient amount of oxygen, pyruvate is shuttled to an aerobic pathway to create more energy. However, if your oxygen supply is limited, pyruvate is converted into a substance called lactate – producing more energy through the breakdown of glucose.

High lactate levels increase muscle acidity and disrupt other metabolites. The same metabolic pathway which facilitates the breakdown of glucose to energy performs poorly in this acidic environment. Your body produces lactate as a natural defense mechanism; to prevent permanent damage from extreme exertion from slowing down key biological systems to maintain muscle contraction. Too much lactate in the blood stream, creates a burning sensation in the muscle, resulting in a loss of power, as you meet what’s known as your lactic acid threshold. When your body slows down, oxygen becomes more readily available, while lactate reverts back to pyruvate, allowing continued aerobic metabolism and energy production for the body to adequately recover from exercise.

Does Lactic Acid Cause Muscle Soreness

Lactic acid is not responsible for increased perceived muscle soreness following exercise. Lactate production and other metabolites during strenuous exercise, results in the burning sensation in the muscles, yet through which metabolites this happens, still remains unclear. Research has shown little association with delayed onset muscle fatigue (DOMS) and lactic acid levels.

The exact cause of DOMs still remains unknown, although most research shows that DOMS is created from muscle cell damage and tissues surrounding the muscle cells. The response to strenuous exercise and over exertion results in an inflammatory response, leading to muscle pain and damage dependent upon the severity of the damage. Anti-inflammatory agents such as Turmeric can be used in response to help reduce swelling and inflammation.

“Whoever can hold off lactic acid the longest, is going to outperform their competition” – Mat Fraser 5 Time Fittest Man On Earth
How To Prevent Lactic Acid Buildup In Your Muscles
Reverberating Mat Fraser’s words, whoever can hold off lactic acid the longest, will outperform their competition. High intensity and endurance training, requires long bouts of prolonged exercise performance, which results in lactate accumulation, causing muscle fatigue and a loss of power. CrossFit for example, involves a series of constantly varied movements, at high volumes, often involving several consecutive exercises, Olympic lifts, with little to no rest intervals either for time, or as many reps as possible. Triathletes also deal with lactic acid accumulation however heart rate and VO2 max also play a vital role in performance, during prolonged exercise bouts while cycling, swimming, or running. The biggest difference, is that resistance training, and lifting heavier loads, for high volumes, will increase lactate at a much faster rate.

There are a few ways in which you can effectively reduce lactic acid build up, increasing your lactic acid threshold and delay muscle fatigue with things such as adequate hydration, breathing techniques, and specific supplements that can help reduce lactic acid buildup.

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