Warning: May contain some science babble 🙂
Lactic acid is a common term that gets associated with pain during intense exercise.But what actually is it????
Lactic acid is a normal by-product of muscle metabolism but it can cause a great deal of irritation to the muscles.
Now let’s differentiate between lactic acid and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) as there can be some confusion between the two. A common misconception, where lactic gets a bad rap, is that it is responsible for causing the 24-48 hour post exercise aches and pains . This is not the case. This is all down to DOMS which is a result of damage to the muscles cells during intensive exercise. This can cause inflammation and tender muscles as they try to repair themselves. So that’s what causes you to hardly be able to move a few days post exercise not lactic acid. However lactic acid does have to take full responsibility for that burning sensation felt in the muscles during strenuous exercise aka “The burn”.
Lactic acid is produced when there is a lack of oxygen in the tissues.
Usually the body uses oxygen to produce energy in the body but during rigorous exercise there may not be enough oxygen getting to the tissues, so a substance called lactate is produced, a by-product of anaerobic energy ( an energy system). The body can convert lactate into energy without using oxygen .
After three minutes lactic acid starts to slow the muscles down and even inhibit some people completely. This as a warning sign to the body that it has reached it’s physical limit. This would be the ideal time to ease back the intensity.
So to round it up, lactic is responsible for causing the burning sensation during intensive exercise but it does not cause you to ache days after.
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