How To Get Rid of Lactic Acid In Muscles
Have you ever been at the gym, feeling strong, pumping more iron than you ever have before, and started to think about how awesome it’s going to feel when you get that final rep in, ultimately crushing your personal best?
But then it happens…
Your arms begin to feel like jelly. They shake, you hit a wall, and you’re nearly out of steam.
Every single rep burns greater than the last, and you come to terms that you’re not hitting a new PB. Undeniably exhausted, the weights slip from your fingers and slam down on the mat.
What in the world is going on?
Well, you’ve probably heard about lactic acid (or rather, lactate) before. Blamed for that infamous burning sensation in the muscles contributing to aches and pains, the post-workout phenomenon comes with quite a bit of confusion.
But don’t worry — as confusing as it may be, we’re here to help you understand exactly what it is, why it happens, and most importantly, how to get rid of it.
Are you ready? Let’s dive in!
Everything You Need To Know About Lactic Acid
Anyone who has ever pushed themselves through a grueling workout is more than likely familiar with “feeling the burn” — that uncomfortable sensation of pain that sets in when you subject your muscles to lifting hefty loads for multiple reps or sprinting all-out.
For the longest time, lactic acid was dubbed as the culprit behind this incredibly painful burning sensation. But after many years of research, it was found that lactic acid itself isn’t responsible for the muscle soreness that causes your arms to wobble like a wacky inflatable tube man.
In fact, lactate is actually a source of energy. Yup, it’s true — we’ll explain.
While relatively harmless, small amounts of lactic acid can help you to avoid fatigue during a workout. But, as we all know —too much of anything is never a good thing, and this couldn’t be more true regarding lactic acid.
You see, when you’re working out, your body naturally undergoes many biochemical processes to keep you energized.
Normally, the body produces this energy through an important process known as aerobic respiration, which relies on oxygen to convert food into fuel.
When you’re pushing yourself during a grueling workout, however, your muscles need much more oxygen than what you can breathe in.
So, as a result, your muscles make the change from anaerobic respiration to an energy-producing process called anaerobic respiration —which, believe it or not, doesn’t require any oxygen.
Lactic acid is a byproduct of this process. And when there’s too much that builds up in the muscles, pain is sure to follow suit.
Hold Up — Why Does A Lactic Acid Buildup Happen?
Lactic acid buildup often happens during longer and more intense bouts of exercise. This is because it’s produced at a faster rate than your body can get rid of it.
As soon as you get some much-needed rest or reduce the intensity of your exercise, your body’s lactic acid levels will naturally begin to drop, eventually returning back to normal.
And as for the painful burning sensation? Don’t worry — that should go away too!
Tips To Get Rid of Lactic Acid Buildup
When you’re dealing with lactic acid buildup, your muscles will feel especially tired and slightly sore — not exactly the winning combination of symptoms you’d hope for when you have a PB to crush.
While it can take a little bit of time to get back to normal, there are some things you can do to speed up the process. Here are a few tips that may help you to get rid of lactic acid sooner rather than later:
Tip #1: Drink Lots Of Water
Drinking plenty of H2O is key to ridding your body of lactic acid. Why? Because water can replenish lost fluids, relieve painful cramps, combat muscle soreness and keep your body performing at optimal levels.
Tip #2: Take Deep Breaths
Your body will naturally start to produce lactic acid when it’s running low in the oxygen needed to convert glucose into energy. So, with this in mind, it makes perfect sense that breathing deeply — which will help deliver oxygen to the muscles — can help slow down lactic acid production.
Tip #3: Decrease Exercise Intensity
The moment you feel the telltale effects of lactic acid buildup, slow down and reduce the intensity of your workout. This can help oxygen return to your muscles and, therefore, break up lactic acid buildup.
Tip #4: Take Creatine
A naturally-occurring amino acid, creatine, helps supply energy to cells, particularly to muscle cells during exercise.
If enough creatine is present in your muscles as you work out, it can act as a lactic acid buffer to reduce buildup.
So, what’s the best way to ensure there’s a good amount of creatine in your body to combat lactic acid, you ask? Simple, with an excellent creatine supplement — like CreActive!
A powerful blend of performance-enhancing ingredients, we wanted to create a beautifully simple product that truly delivers:
- We took the most research-backed supplemental ingredient on the planet, creatine, found the best source, and optimized the dose for efficiency. But, we didn’t stop there…
- We then took the most cutting-edge vasodilator we could find and added it for instant performance, nitric-oxide enhancement, and nutrient partitioning.
- As if that weren’t enough, we also wanted to enhance cognitive functioning and reflexes without hindering strength, pumps, or nutrient uptake, so we carefully selected the best nootropic possible and added it into the mix.
- After hundreds of revisions, you have a triad of powerful ingredients that work in perfect synergy for immediate and tangible results.
Whether you’re under the bar, on the field, across the court, in the ring, or anywhere that you find your happy place, you can always count on BioHealth to deliver high-performance products like CreActive to show you just how good your nutrition can be.
Tip #5: Get Quality Sleep
A good night’s rest is key to maintaining a healthy workout schedule and reducing lactic acid buildup in the muscles.
When we sleep, our muscles naturally relax, enabling blood flow to increase throughout the body. This increased blood flow translates to more nutrients and oxygen being delivered to the muscles while simultaneously, lactic acid is reduced.
A Final Word
So, what’s the best way to combat lactic acid buildup, you ask?
You can do many things to help bring your lactic acid levels back down to normal, such as drinking plenty of water, taking deep breaths, decreasing exercise intensity, and getting good rest. We also recommend adding a high-quality creatine supplement into your daily routine — like CreActive.
Designed to fuel your body with a powerful blend of simple performance ingredients, just one scoop of our CreAtine powder 15-30 minutes before physical activity is all you need to enhance cognitive functioning, speed up muscle recovery, boost muscular endurance, and, best of all— reduce lactic acid buildup.
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Sources:
Muscle fatigue and lactic acid accumulation | PubMed
Aerobic Respiration - The Definitive Guide | Biology Dictionary
Biochemistry, Anaerobic Glycolysis | StatPearls
Effects of one night's sleep deprivation on anaerobic performance the following day | NCBI