The lactic acid myth often misrepresents the role of lactic acid in exercise. Lactic acid, a byproduct of breaking down glucose and glycogen for energy, is produced when your body requires energy faster than oxygen can supply. While its buildup is linked to the burning sensation in muscles, it does not indicate that lactic acid is harmful or a sign of over-exertion. Instead, lactic acid is recycled by your body for energy, making it an essential part of your metabolism during intense workouts. Understanding the lactic acid myth helps debunk misconceptions about its role in training and muscle fatigue.
The lactic acid myth has fueled misconceptions about lactic acid training due to early flawed studies suggesting it caused heart strain. These studies failed to account for participants’ strength levels or heart rate changes before and after each set. Today, many fitness professionals view lactic acid training as a valuable tool for enhancing fat loss while maintaining muscle tone, disproving outdated fears associated with this method.
This morning I did the 5 minute kettlebell test, it was brutal!
I felt great for the first 20 reps and then after that it was all about the burn.
I got an article below on the burn.
It is from a trainer from Australia that lives in New York, Kate Vidulich.
Enjoy!
~ Rick Kaselj
We’ve all felt the familiar burn with the last few reps of a complex set of exercises. That burning feeling is all thanks to lactic acid.
But if you can push through the pain of intensity, you can accelerate fat loss by significantly boosting your body’s lactic acid level.
What is lactic acid training, and why should you use it?
The Science Behind It.
I’ll try to keep this as simple as possible.
Lactic acid is the byproduct of energy production in the absence of oxygen. Your body breaks down glycogen (stored carbohydrates in your liver and muscles) for energy, which causes the burn.
Seeing as oxygen is NOT available, the glycogen breaks down into different compounds, including pyruvate – which later turns into hydrogen ions – the real trigger of the burn.
When training at this higher intensity, the buildup of lactic acid will cause you to slow down. The time to muscle fatigue will depend on your fitness level and lactate threshold, which increases as you specifically train this energy system.
Myth About Lactic Acid Training
You may think this type of training makes you sore. But don’t be fooled; lactic acid buildup does not cause delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)…
DOMS is caused by muscle fiber damage during the movement’s eccentric portion (lowering phase). The slower tempo causes lactic acid buildup, forcing the muscle to fail on a chemical and cellular level. NOT because the fibers are weak.
And this makes a huge difference to your rate of recovery. You won’t feel insane muscle soreness the next day even though your workout is exhausting and your muscles burn during the exercise.
So why is Lactic Acid training so effective?
I’m so glad you asked.
Lactic acid is the precursor to Growth Hormone (GH), which means the more lactic acid present in the bloodstream, the more growth hormone (GH) your body releases. That’s key because GH causes muscles to grow and attacks stubborn fat stores.
This presence of growth hormone also means you can maintain your muscle mass, even on a low-calorie diet.
But to spike your lactic acid production, you will be doing long sets and short rest periods. Yes, it’s hard work because.
The tempo is different.
You rest long enough to recover slightly but not long enough to clear the lactic acid from your system. This will increase the time under tension, drastically increasing the amount of lactic acid produced. And make your workout extremely challenging.
More lactic acid is produced during the concentric phase of the lift (upward motion), which is the portion of the exercise we want to slow down. For most exercises, you lift the weight over 3-4 seconds and lower quickly but safely (like 1 second). You extend the time it takes to raise the importance and decrease the time by reducing weight.
Remember, when doing lactic acid training, you MUST reduce the weight by 20-25% below your normal lifting weight. As your body gets accustomed, you can bump it up.
Seeing as I love you, here is a cool workout from the 21-Day Accelerator Rapid Results Plan. This training style will help you get rapid results, particularly if you train in a fast state. You can try today.
No kidding, you will burn calories just by looking at it. 😉
Lactic Acid Training Workout B
Dynamic Warm Up
Do this circuit once, with no rest between moves:
- Single leg glute bridge x 10 each leg
- Hip Flexor Stretch x 15s hold
- Bird/Dog x 5 each side with 10s hold
- Jumping Jacks x 20
Accelerator #1: DB/BB Fat Loss Accelerator
Choose a weight you can lift overhead for ten reps. Perform the following with no rest between exercises and without putting the weight down. At the end of the circuit, rest for 60 seconds and repeat for four rounds.
- A: High Pull x 8
- B: Romanian Deadlift x 8
- C: Push Press x 8
- D: Alternating Reverse Lunge x 8 (each leg)
Lactic Acid Training
Perform exercises with a slow tempo, as listed next to the training.
Workout Set #1: 3 rounds
1A: Prisoner Squat x 15 reps (1-0-5)
- Drop fast, 5 seconds up
- Rest 10s
1B: Close Grip Push up x 10 reps (2-1-3)
- 2 seconds down, 3 seconds up
- Rest 10s
1C: Stability Ball Leg Curl x 12 reps (1-0-3)
- 1 second out, 3 seconds in
- Rest for 45s at the end of the circuit and repeat this circuit twice more for three rounds. If pressed for time, do two rounds.
Accelerator 2: Bodyweight Fat Loss Accelerator
Perform each of the following for one round.
A: Explosive Push Ups x 10
- Rest 15s
B: Low Box Jumps x 10
- Rest 60s
Workout Set 2: 3 rounds
2A: Inverted Row x 15 reps (1-0-3) — 1 second down, 3 seconds up
- Rest 20s
2B: DB Squat thrust to Deadlift x 10 reps (1-0-3) — 1 second down, 3 seconds up on the deadlift
- Rest 20s
2C: DB Overhead Press x 10 reps (1-0-2) — 1 second down, 2 seconds up
- Rest for 45s at the end of the circuit and repeat this circuit twice for three rounds. If pressed for time, do two rounds.
But wait, you’re not done yet.
There is another quick bodyweight Accelerator to keep metabolism cranking until Christmas Day.
Get the entire workout PLUS 21-Day Ab Accelerators System
Ab Accelerators is an aggressive 21-day workout plan that gets rapid results, with intense circuits to rev your metabolism and the best ab exercises to put your belly fat into submission.
Rock on!
Kate Vidulich, BSc, ACSM-HFS, MCTT
Author of the Ab Accelerators System
