home / Forums / Bodybuilding / General Discussions / What is Lactic Acid?

This topic contains 0 replies, has 1 voice, and was last updated by Zillagreybeard Zillagreybeard 3 years, 6 months ago.

What is Lactic Acid?

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by Zillagreybeard, Sep 29, 2020.
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
Zillagreybeard
Zillagreybeard
Participant
1873 posts
  • Sep 29, 2020
  • 0

Lactic acid is often the culprit for just about every negative sensation we feel during exercise. We produce lactate and hydrogen ions from breaking down glucose for energy. Some earlier studies have found that both lactate and hydrogen ions can contribute to fatigue, but those ideas are a bit outdated now.

💥 Lactate was initially thought to contribute to fatigue, but the science that uncovered that was rather shaky. We now know that lactate can be broken down further to provide energy. Lactate can actually be helpful for performance!

💥 Hydrogen ions can lower the pH of the muscle – this will cause a burning sensation and it also might impair the interactions that result in muscle contractions. However, hydrogen ions are not the only metabolite linked with fatigue, so lactic acid shouldn’t always be blamed as an exercise-related villain.

▪️ Based on: Allen, D. G., Lamb, G. D., & Westerblad, H. (2008). Skeletal muscle fatigue: cellular mechanisms. Physiological Reviews.

Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

Recent forum posts:
maria wilson replied 29 minutes ago
Zillagreybeard replied 3 days, 9 hours ago