Lactic Acid - What it is, What it Does and How it Affects Your Workout
Okay you guys get ready, this is a long one! This is the shortest simplest way I could think of to explain a really compex subject! The Human body is Amazing!
In order to give you a better idea of what lactic acid is itself we must first understand a little more about a few other things first like the energy your body uses during workouts and the recovery process after an intense workout. In order for your body to repair the tears made to your muscle fibers during training, you must provide it with the nutrients that are expended during your workouts. Along with protein and carbohydrates; enzymes are also depleted during workouts. Examples of enzymes are aerobic ( using oxygen) and non aerobic ( not using oxygen) These enzymes are a vital role to better workouts and recovery; they allow the muscles to produce and store more energy thus providing a better workout that can be maintained for a longer period of time and at a higher intensity. Enzymes are what determine your lactate threshold, or how efficiently your muscles use lactic acid for energy. Yes your muscles actually use Lactic Acid for energy! Your body has three ways of resynthesizing energy (ATP) in the muscles when it is depleted. They are PC ATP, Lactic Acid, and Aerobic.
In order for your body to utilize energy it must be able to provide the muscles with oxygen. You may have heard the term VO2max – what that is, is a measuring system or test that determines how efficient your cardio vascular system is at supplying your body with oxygen. The better your body can supply oxygen to your blood, organs and tissues the better you will be able to perform at any given sport or exercise. But our Lactic Acid energy source is different it actually kicks in when there is no oxygen available – meaning it’s an anaerobic energy source. That means there is a direct connection between your lungs and the burning sensation in your legs while doing extensions! The better your cardio the longer period of time you will be able to go without feeling that burn – or lactic acid! Who knew?
Lactic Acid when most people are asked what it is or when asked to describe it only know it as a “burning sensation”. One of the most common exercises’ where people really feel this and complain about it is during leg extensions, and followed by the “O’h my god this hurts so bad, my legs are on fire” comments is the same question, why? Common answers you will get from most people are “You want the burn the burn is good, those last few reps where it burns means you had a good workout”. Again what is it, what does it do, and why?
Well the answer isn’t just that simple; in order to understand lactic acid you first will need to know about ATP. ATP is short for Adenosine Triphosphate when your body needs energy to move or exercise it uses ATP. During bouts of intense exercise your body can quickly deplete its stores of ATP, so to keep you from running out of gas it has 3 ways it can replenish those stores; ATP-PC, Lactic Acid and Aerobic.
When your body breaks down carbohydrates for energy the process is called glycolysis, because carbohydrates in their simplest form are sugars or glucose. Now when the sugar is broken down further it makes pyruvate and hydrogen which are released into the muscles and blood for energy, in order to utilize that energy your body needs OXYGEN. If there isn’t enough oxygen to break down the pyruvate (anaerobic glycolysis) happens which is what produces the lactic acid. (Anaerobic – without air) The lactic acid then surrounds and fills the muscle tissue to help replace the energy (ATP). Now your lactate threshold, how much you feel that burn and how quickly is directly affected by your VO2 max. So lets say for example you feel an intense burn in a very short period of time, it would be said you have a very low lactate threshold which in turn means that your body is not very efficient at supplying your blood, tissue and organs with oxygen. The more oxygen you can get throughout your body the higher your VO2 max will be and the higher your lactate threshold will be – because remember lactic acid is only created for energy when there is no oxygen available. Aerobic or oxygen is one of the three main sources that replace the energy stores emptied in your muscles while exercising. So now that you know what lactic acid is how it works and why take the information and run with it! Literally!
I have new found motivation to get that cardio workout in along with my weight training – they go hand in hand! Push yourself to go further! Increase that lactate threshold and intensify your workouts and build your best body this year! –
