Search
Related Links




 

 

Informative Articles

Bets and terminology for beginners
Betting is a very widespread and regular phenomenon especially in United States. In the world of sports betting has not left any game untouched. Be it cricket, horse racing, football, basketball… betting has laid its hands over all of them. Though...

Food as Fuel
Nutrition Basics for the Exercising Adult Food is necessary for all humans to sustain life. For our bodies to properly function at rest, calories are needed from food to provide the energy needed to breathe, help our heart beat, allow our...

Scuba Diving with Club Med in Turks and Caicos
One scuba diving vacation option for divers is with the Club Med resorts that offer intensive dive programs. These particular Club Med locations have full service scuba diving centers staffed by PADI and NAUI certified instructors as well as full...

The Anabolic Evolution of Modern Bodybuilding
Today, drugs in some professional sports have become mainstream. The hypocrisy of Major League Baseball serves as a wake up call for an American culture that indulges in careless living by risking its health through poor nutrition, alcoholic...

TOP TEN Pound 4 Pound Best Boxer Ever
Before we start our list, I wanted to take some time to comment on 2 fighters that may have strong support in certain communities for being among the best ever, but truly do not have a place on the list. NOT RANKED Rocky Marciano - Won 49...

 
5 Little Known Facts About Lactic Acid

Everybody knows that lactic acid accumulates when we exercise at a high intensity, but there is much more to lactate than that. It plays an integral role in many of the body's metabolic processes.

1. Lactic Acid is Always Present
It's always being produced. At rest your lactic acid levels will be about 1 millimoles/liter (mmol/L). As exercise intensity increases so does the production of lactic acid. It's not until you pass your anaerobic threshold that it reduces your efficiency. For most people this is approximately 4 mmol/L, or 70-80% of their VO2max.

2. Not Just Oxygen Deficiency
It is commonly thought that it is the lack of oxygen that causes the increased production of lactic acid. Whilst it is a contributing factor, it is the absence of the "carrier molecules" NAD (nicotinomide adenine dinucleotide) and FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide) that have a much greater effect. They play the important role of transporting hydrogen into the cells for use in the production of energy. If they are not around, the hydrogen joins with pyruvate to produce lactic acid.

3. Lactic Acid as Fuel
Lactic acid is usually removed from the muscle tissue within 30 minutes after exercise. It is used by liver, heart, and kidney as a source of energy. The liver can also convert it back into glucose, where it is released into the bloodstream for muscle use. It can also be converted into glycogen for storage.

4.


Fatigue and Lactic Acid
Most people know that increases in lactic acid causes a decrease in your ability to perform but few actually know how this occurs.
Firstly, you'll have a decrease in energy. The increase in hydrogen reduces the production of ATP (energy) by inhibiting key ezymes involved in its production.
Secondly, your muscles won't be able to contract as often or with as much force. For a muscle to contract we need calcium to attach itself to binding sites within the muscle. The more calcium attached, the more forceful the contraction. The problem occurs because hydrogen competes with calcium for bindings sites.

5. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is the pain you feel in the muscle 24-48 hours after exercise. It was once thought that lactic acid caused this but it has now been proven wrong.
It's the excessive mechanical force which results in damage to the muscle or connective tissue. The body responds by repairing it and this stimulates sensory nerve endings which results in pain. This is why it usually occurs when you first start an exercise program, or when you train at an unusually high intensity.
About the Author
Ray Kelly has a degree in Exercise Science and has worked in the fitness industry for 15 years. For more information on health and fitness, go to: Fitness, Weight Loss, and Heart Attacks!

Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.