Lactic Acid Buildup
What is lactic acid buildup and what does it do to your body?
Does Lactic Acid cause Muscle soreness?
Lactic acid is produced by your body during strenuous physical activity and is designed to prevent injury to your muscles during intense strenuous activity. The energy to fuel strenuous activity comes from the breakdown of ATP, which our body only has so much of, and so it must be re-synthesized. This is where lactic acid comes into play and helps re-synthesize the ATP. Lactic acid contributes to anaerobic glycolysis, the breakdown of carbohydrates without oxygen. Lactic acid buildup allows you to push even harder during your workout and makes it possible for your muscles not to get hurt.
It is commonly thought that lactic acid causes the muscle soreness you experience 24 to 48 hours after physical activity. While many people believe this, it is actually not true. Lactic acid isn't the reason your muscles become sore. They become sore due to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This DOMS occurs when your muscles do something that they aren't used to doing in a much more strenuous way than usual.
Does Lactic Acid cause Muscle soreness?
Lactic acid is produced by your body during strenuous physical activity and is designed to prevent injury to your muscles during intense strenuous activity. The energy to fuel strenuous activity comes from the breakdown of ATP, which our body only has so much of, and so it must be re-synthesized. This is where lactic acid comes into play and helps re-synthesize the ATP. Lactic acid contributes to anaerobic glycolysis, the breakdown of carbohydrates without oxygen. Lactic acid buildup allows you to push even harder during your workout and makes it possible for your muscles not to get hurt.
It is commonly thought that lactic acid causes the muscle soreness you experience 24 to 48 hours after physical activity. While many people believe this, it is actually not true. Lactic acid isn't the reason your muscles become sore. They become sore due to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This DOMS occurs when your muscles do something that they aren't used to doing in a much more strenuous way than usual.
How it works
As I said previously, lactic acid helps your muscles during workout and doesn't make them sore, contrary to the belief of many. There is a point in your muscles where acidity occurs and it is called lactic or lactate threshold, which is also called the anaerobic threshold. This occurs when your blood and lactate muscles are above normal and they are telling your body to stop. You are able to change when this threshold takes place, however, through training you can raise the point at which your muscles begin to stop working. The best way to do this is by introducing a workout where you use 85 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate for 20 continuous minutes, Sports Coach Brian Mackenzie said. Just like your lactic acid has to build up, it also has to go back down to equilibrium. It takes about an hour for your lactic acid levels to go back down to the level they were before your workout or strenuous activity.
Lactic Acid is a blood test that measures the level of lactic acid in your body. Most lactate or lactic acid is made by muscle tissue and red blood cells. When your oxygen levels are low carbohydrates break down for energy making lactic acid. Lactic acid levels increase during strenuous activity or other conditions such as heart failure, a severe infection, or shock. While the lactic acid levels increase, it lowers the flow of oxygen and blood throughout the body. When the liver is damaged, lactic acid levels also increase because the liver normally breaks down lactic acid. There is a such thing as too much lactic acid. If someone has too much lactic acid it could lead to a serious and sometimes life threatening condition called lactic acidosis. If you suspect this has happened, you can take a lactic acid test which usually is done with a blood sample from the vein. When the oxygen levels are lower, more lactic acid is produced which can produce hydrogen ions leading to a burning sensation in muscles when they are active.
Lactic acid molecular formula: C3H6O3
Molecular weight: 90.08 g/mol
Lactic Acid is a blood test that measures the level of lactic acid in your body. Most lactate or lactic acid is made by muscle tissue and red blood cells. When your oxygen levels are low carbohydrates break down for energy making lactic acid. Lactic acid levels increase during strenuous activity or other conditions such as heart failure, a severe infection, or shock. While the lactic acid levels increase, it lowers the flow of oxygen and blood throughout the body. When the liver is damaged, lactic acid levels also increase because the liver normally breaks down lactic acid. There is a such thing as too much lactic acid. If someone has too much lactic acid it could lead to a serious and sometimes life threatening condition called lactic acidosis. If you suspect this has happened, you can take a lactic acid test which usually is done with a blood sample from the vein. When the oxygen levels are lower, more lactic acid is produced which can produce hydrogen ions leading to a burning sensation in muscles when they are active.
Lactic acid molecular formula: C3H6O3
Molecular weight: 90.08 g/mol
Le Chatelier's principle and Lactic Acid
Lactic acid is thrown in and out of equilibrium when a lot of it is released. This tends to be during a strenuous activity like lifting weights or running or working out. It gets out of equilibrium as soon as you start lifting heavy weights or running full sprint until it hits the so called lactic acid thresh hold where your muscles can no longer function correctly without causing your body harm. It hits this thresh hold to prevent muscle injuries. Lactic acid is in and out of equilibrium very quickly. For example, lets say you were bench pressing at the gym. Your first couple of reps wouldn't need lactic acid but by the third rep it would start to build up until it hits its threshold at the tenth rep. That is when you re-rack the weights and take time for a rest. As long as you give yourself a short rest period in between sets, your lactic acid will disappear and come back whenever you start to lift the heavy weights again. This follows the Le Chatelier's principle, which states that when there are changes to an equilibrium system it will result in a predictable shift that will counteract the change.