Lesson 3

You've made it this far... now find out how you can stop that annoying thigh itch you get in the middle of your jog or the burn you feel in your arms after doing a few assisted pull ups.

Lactic Acid

Lactic acid build up in those ripped muscles.

For avid gym enthusiasts and even those that aren't, we have all had the same experience. You start a hard, intense workout and after a while your muscles start to burn and/or itch. Maybe it is during a run or maybe while lifting heavier than normal weights. No matter what your doing, its annoying and often painful.

You might stop to itch or "shake off the burn" for a few minutes but have you ever stopped to wonder what is going on inside your body that causes these feelings. It's the build up of lactic acid in your muscles that you can blame for interrupting your kick ass workout.

Lactic acid is a some what easy idea to explain. You know that to keep your muscles active during activity they need energy.

But where does this energy come from?

Energy comes from a few different places; one includes from the oxygen we take in (That's why you breath harder during workouts to sustain the need for energy) this is referred to as aerobic energy. A second method of getting energy does not use oxygen and is called the anaerobic break down of energy.

Quite a physiology lesson so far, I know. But the lesson continues.

The breakdown of glucose (sugar) is a major source of energy for the body but its needs the help of oxygen to split. When you just can't get enough oxygen (even though your are breathing fast and getting in tons) the body is forced to use a substance called lactate to help the glucose break down and this means energy and continued fitness.

But there is a negative end result. Thought there is energy to keep doing your workout, lactic acid is formed as a byproduct. Thankfully, the build up of acid does not last too long and the body is able to get rid of rid of it without problems.

And now for the lactic acid course.

The body can use the lactase method for energy for 1-3 minutes and it is actually a safeguard for your muscles. The pain, itch and annoyance of acid increase will have you slowing down which equals you getting more oxygen to the systems for more efficient energy.

Contrary to what you might previously heard, lactic acid is not associated with muscle soreness/tenderness felt a day or so after a workout. This is referred to as delayed-onset muscle soreness. Lactic acid is only the culprit during or right after exercise that you feel its affects.

If I get a buildup of lactic acid, I always feel it in my hamstrings and quadriceps. Sometimes after a run I will look down and noticed I had been scratching my thighs during the last mile. But after my cool down and a bottle of water I feel back to tip top shape.

The more you exercise the more the body will adapt with breathing and energy production and you aren't going to experience the burn as much. But when you change up your routine, which is recommended every 4 weeks, chances are you will notice the burn again.

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