Lactic Acid – The Myths
If you ask most people what they think lactic acid is they will often say “its causing the burn” in the muscles after being used for intensive exercise. For near a century it was thought and widely taught that lactic acid produced by the muscles through anaerobic metabolism is responsible for this burn and resultant muscle fatigue, but in reality this simply isn’t true and there has actually never been any scientific evidence to suggest this is the case!
If neither lactate, nor lactic acid causes muscle burn, then what does?
ATP – a substance used as an energy source by your cells. During exercise, your body uses large quantities of ATP to meet your muscle cells’ high energy demand. When you use this ATP, it produces a proton.
And what happens when protons are produced? The area becomes more acidic. As the protons increase in number they come into contact with nerves near the muscles, creating the sensation known as muscle burn. As you continue to work your muscles, you use more ATP, producing protons and increasing the acid in the muscles.
None of this involves lactate or lactic acid.
