Acid Rocks

Think of everything you’ve ever, ever thought about lactic acid. Now, throw it out the window. Actually, only some of it. But to find out what parts of it, read on…

Lactic acid is completely malignant. In fact, recent research has shown that our muscles create it intentionally. We actually use it as a fuel source. Some of the recent research actually believes it to be the preferred fuel source for our muscles, but the jury is still out on those details. So, why is it bad, then? Part of what we believed to be true before, still is. Too much lactic acid is bad. An accumulation will give you the “burn” you’re used to when you perform intense exercises.

What does this mean, then? In a nutshell, lactic acid is a great source of fuel that our bodies create, but can be detrimental to performance if levels get too high. But, like almost anything in life, you can get good at what you practice. It’s called the SAID principle: Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. In other words, your body will start to change for the better, according to what you tell it to do. Since lactic acid is only created when we exercise, exercising is the only way we can “practice” utilizing lactic acid. The harder we go, the more lactic acid we’ll produce, thus forcing our bodies to become more proficient at using it.

This knowledge can also be applied during interval workouts. Instead of completely stopping between hard bouts, try walking, slowly jogging (or the equivalent to your given piece of exercise equipment). This will use some of the lactic acid that has been produced during the hard bouts, thus help keep its levels at bay.

You should go for the burn when you workout, so you improve the way your muscles tolerate it and to teach them to use it as well. The burn is your friend! The more it burns, the faster you are conditioning that muscle for the most rapid results possible. You will also burn more fat after exercise as your muscles respond with metabolic, chemical and hormonal changes to adapt, change and get stronger.

Look for Dr. George Brooks to continue studies on lactic acid for more updates in science.