Muscle pain experienced after a workout is a clear sign that you have fully loaded your body and have not wasted your time in the gym. Such sensations are normal and quickly go away during rest and sleep. And if we are talking about fatigue and overtraining, we cannot help but pay attention to such a substance as lactic acid, which is produced by our body under certain conditions. What it is, when exactly its synthesis begins and what it affects - we will consider further.
Lactic acid
Lactic acid in the human body: how and when does it appear?
First, let's figure out how exactly lactic acid appears in the muscles.
The source of “energy”, thanks to which we can perform set after set, repetition after repetition, and indeed any physical activity, is adenosine triphosphate (or ATP for short). Each organism has a fixed supply of it, which is consumed during exercise. On average, it lasts a little longer than an hour of intense work - it is for this reason that the duration of the workout should not exceed this time.
Once ATP stores are depleted and muscles are still being used, the body's process of obtaining fuel changes. ATP begins to be produced at an emergency rate by breaking down glucose. However, along with adenosine triphosphate, which is so necessary for the body, lactic acid (or lactate) also appears.
The attitude towards lactic acid is quite ambiguous. Inexperienced beginners who are just starting to learn theoretical basis Bodybuilding and processes that affect the quality of training believe that lactic acid in muscles is harmful and only slows down progress. However, this is a serious misconception: in fact, lactate is a kind of fast “fuel” for the body, and allows you to train much more efficiently and productively.
Why does muscle pain occur?
When athletes feel severe pain in the muscles after training (in particular, after a break in exercise or when performing new exercises), it is often believed that the cause of its appearance is excess lactic acid. In fact, this is partly a misconception.
The resulting burning sensation in the muscles, which goes away after a couple of days, is actually called delayed muscle pain (abbreviated as LMS). It is the ZMB that you feel when you begin to make significant changes to the program: perform new exercises, train longer, or when you resume training after a long break. This phenomenon is minimally associated with lactic acid - the occurrence of a burning sensation occurs due to the fact that the muscle fibers receive microtrauma during exercise. The healing of these same micro-tears is accompanied by muscle pain, and along with it, muscle growth.
This feeling is typical only for the first workouts: literally after 3-4 sessions the burning sensation will be felt much weaker, or even disappear altogether. This is due to the fact that the body is a system that can adapt to a wide variety of conditions. After this, microtraumas will no longer heal so painfully and for a long time, which means the growth of muscle fibers will slow down. It is for this reason that it is necessary to regularly change your training program. According to the recommendations of many athletes, some changes should be made after 2-3 months of usual activities - and this will have a positive effect on the rate of muscle growth and strength.
Effects of lactic acid on muscles
The production of lactic acid also has its negative sides. In particular, its accumulation in the body begins to impede the contraction of muscle fibers, impairs nerve conduction and reduces the rate of “energy” production. That is, to put it simply, it helps the athlete with short-term intense repetitions, but interferes with long-term loads.
Massage and sauna to remove lactic acid from the body
So, we have already figured out that lactic acid is not such a serious and dangerous enemy for human body and for progress in bodybuilding. With the right approach, even the opposite - it can become your “assistant”, with a thoughtful combination of exercises allowing you to improve the effectiveness of your training.
However, athletes who do not understand such issues often spend a considerable amount of time supposedly ridding the body of lactic acid. There is a misconception that after a hard workout, when muscle pain is felt, a warm bath, sauna and massage will help speed up recovery and get rid of lactic acid.
In fact, it has been proven many times that these absolutely useful and pleasant methods do not in any way affect the amount of lactic acid in the body. To prove this, studies were conducted: one group of people simply rested after intense exercise, and the second group visited a sauna and a massage. As a result, a blood test taken from representatives of both groups showed the same content of lactic acid salts - which means that neither the sauna nor the massage accelerated recovery in any way.
But acceleration is affected by calm and leisurely cycling. Just 15-30 minutes spent “in the saddle” significantly reduced lactic acid levels.
Let's sum it up
Such a question probably poses a significant difficulty for many athletes who are not familiar in detail with their own body and the processes that take place in it. In principle, it is not at all necessary to understand this in detail - it is enough to at least study it superficially to avoid common misconceptions. So, let's summarize.
- Lactic acid occurs during the breakdown of glucose when ATP reserves are depleted.
- Lactic acid is NOT the “enemy” of the body and muscles.
- Lactic acid helps you perform short-term intense repetitions, but makes it difficult to perform long-term repetitions.
- Lactic acid does NOT cause the burning sensation we experience for days after a workout.
- Lactic acid is NOT eliminated faster by using a sauna or massage.
- Lactic acid makes it harder for muscle fibers to contract, leading to fatigue during training.
Striving for healthy image life encourages people of different ages review your eating habits and exercise or go to the gym. The benefits of regular physical activity indisputable. But sometimes long workouts end in muscle pain. This is caused by incorrectly selected exercises or unusually large physical activity for the body. Why is this happening? Lactic acid in muscles is the cause of burning and pain after intense physical exercise.
Lactic acid in muscles - what is it?
Lactic acid is a substance that appears as a result of processes that occur in muscle tissue under the influence of physical exercise. It is formed in muscle tissue as a result of the breakdown of glucose. Lactic acid contains hydrogen (acid) and lactate. Hydrogen interferes with the transmission of electrical signals in nerves and muscles.
It weakens muscle contractions and affects the speed of energy reactions, slowing them down. The burning sensation in the muscles is the result of the accumulation of hydrogen ions. The more intense the load on a particular muscle, the more lactic acid is formed in it. The accumulation of this acid provokes burning and pain. This condition lasts up to 2-3 days.
Symptoms of education
The accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles leads to pain in different parts of the body. Sometimes, after intense exercise, it can be difficult to even move. The epicenter of pain is the muscles that were subjected to maximum stress during training. Lactic acid in the muscles causes excessive fatigue, a feeling of “brokenness” and fever. Sometimes this leads to the need to take an antipyretic drug to normalize the temperature.
The discomfort caused by the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles lasts several days and usually goes away on its own. However, large amounts of this acid can damage muscle fibers. Then muscle pain will be felt for a long time while the damaged areas are being restored.
A burning sensation in muscle tissue under heavy load is not always accompanied by pain in the days following training. But if you feel a strong burning sensation during exercise, it is recommended to stop training or switch to less strenuous exercises. This is necessary to eliminate the possibility of muscle fiber accumulation large quantity lactic acid and eliminate the occurrence of muscle microtraumas. To minimize the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles, the load during training should be increased gradually, and exercise should be done regularly.
Causes of lactic acid accumulation and pain
What is the mechanism for the formation of lactic acid in muscles during sports or intense physical activity? During exercise, muscles are used. For normal functioning, they need oxygen, with which the muscles replenish energy reserves (ATP renewal). During training, muscles work intensely, so they need a lot of oxygen.
Our body is designed in such a way that too powerful contractions of muscle tissue cause a blockage of oxygen supply to the muscles, by slowing down local blood flow. But the load on the muscles continues, which forces the body to look for additional sources of energy. ATP synthesis occurs in anaerobic mode when there is a lack of oxygen supply. This occurs by converting muscle glycogen into ATP, which triggers the production of lactic acid.
Since the blood is not able to immediately remove lactic acid, it accumulates and causes discomfort. Muscle burning leads to negative consequences - energy reserves decrease and creatine disappears in the muscles, the hormone cortisol is released, protein ceases to be synthesized, insulin is produced less by the body, and this also causes a negative effect on the androgen receptor.
The accumulation of lactic acid in muscles occurs not only during heavy physical exertion. This process is provoked by prolonged walking or other intense stress. These reasons, if they cause pain, do not last long and do not require additional measures to eliminate them. If the muscles begin to ache 2-3 days after intense training, then the culprit is delayed pain syndrome.
Its nature is not always associated with the accumulation of lactic acid in muscle tissue, because by the time it occurs this substance has already been eliminated by the body. Traumatic pain worries a person due to deformation and damage to muscle tissue, or the cause of pain is the inflammatory process occurring in the muscles. If there is a lot of lactic acid, then the consequence can be significant damage to muscle fibers.
For such microtraumas the immune system reacts with the occurrence of an inflammatory process. To restore muscle tissue, they receive a special type of immune cells necessary to start the process of regeneration of damaged fibers. The consequences of the action of lactic acid can manifest as delayed muscle pain caused by the ongoing inflammatory process.
How to remove lactic acid from muscles - treatment
There are several modern theories about the possibility and impossibility of accelerating the process of removing lactic acid from muscle tissue. One group of experts argues that this process cannot be influenced, but that you simply need to endure the pain until the body itself removes the acid from the muscles.
Other doctors believe that certain methods can affect the rate of removal of lactic acid (fatigue toxins) from muscle fibers. The rapid removal of this substance prevents the risk of delayed pain syndrome and eliminates burning sensation. Let's consider several methods proposed by the second group of specialists to speed up the process of removing lactic acid.
Ways to neutralize excess acid
There are many methods to speed up the elimination of “fatigue toxins” and relieve pain after exercise. Some are associated with the consumption of berry or fruit drinks, juices or herbal teas. And other methods are aimed at procedures that improve blood flow.
Methods to quickly remove lactic acid:
- Cherry and pomegranate juice contain many antioxidants that help quickly repair muscle damage. It is recommended to drink 200 ml of juice.
- A decoction of nettles, rose hips, hawthorn, birch leaves with the addition of 1 tsp. honey will help eliminate fatigue caused by lactic acid.
- Drinking large amounts of purified water during training can reduce the intensity of lactic acid accumulation.
- Procedures in salt, turpentine or pine baths improve blood flow and promote the rapid elimination of “fatigue toxins.”
- Visiting a sauna or bathhouse improves blood circulation and promotes rapid acid removal.
- A diet containing plenty of fruits, vegetables, and herbs helps reduce acid accumulation.
Elimination by drinking plenty of fluids
Effective method to remove lactic acid from muscle fibers - drink plenty of fluids after training during the day. Drink clean, still water and green tea, which contains many antioxidants. However, drinking too much tea is not recommended because there is a risk of high blood pressure from drinking too much of this drink. On the first day after heavy physical activity, you should drink up to 4 liters of fluid.
Hot bath or sauna
To speed up the process of removing lactic acid, use a sauna and a hot bath. The effectiveness of these procedures is due to the fact that when blood vessels and muscle fibers are exposed to high temperatures, they expand. As a result, blood flow becomes more intense and is able to quickly remove lactic acid from muscle tissue. How to properly use a sauna and hot bath to remove lactic acid?
- Sauna
You should not stay in the sauna for too long without a break, as this will negatively affect your well-being. To speed up the process of removing lactic acid, adhere to the following procedure for procedures in the sauna:
- The first approach is 10 minutes, then you need to leave the booth and rest for 5 minutes.
- The second approach is 15 minutes, then you need to exit and wait 5 minutes.
After the procedures, take a cold shower. Remember that it is not recommended to spend more than an hour in the sauna. Before deciding to use a sauna to relieve pain, consider your health status. Not everyone is recommended for procedures with high temperature loads. If you suffer from diabetes, hypertension, heart and vascular diseases, then refrain from visiting the sauna. Ideal if available serious illnesses There will be a consultation with a doctor about the advisability of using a sauna.
- Hot bath
Using a bath to speed up the process of removing lactic acid is more accessible and simpler than visiting a sauna. For procedures in the bathtub, it is necessary to fill it hot water with the maximum acceptable temperature for you. Then you need to sit in a bath of water so that the water does not reach the level of your heart. The procedure time is 10 minutes.
Then pour yourself over cold water. Take a short break and repeat the procedure. For maximum effectiveness, it is recommended to do this procedure up to 5 times. After completing the entire procedure, rub with a towel until the skin turns red. Pregnant women and women during their “critical” days are not recommended to take a bath.
IN last years All more people are beginning to pay more and more attention to their health. Not least on this list are sports activities, and just visiting gym. However, sometimes people, trying to achieve the desired result as quickly as possible, overdo it. And as a result, they are faced with a problem such as lactic acid in the muscles.
And this lactic acid can lead to a range of discomforts, such as:
- Pain in a variety of muscle groups, and especially in those on which the load was especially high. Moreover, the pain is often very severe.
- General weakness and feeling of being “broken” - a person is not able to make an extra movement. Moreover, this state can last quite often.
- An increase in body temperature - for some it rises slightly, but for others it may require immediate use of antipyretic drugs.
A person will not even sharpen his attention - a similar condition occurs periodically in almost any person. And it does not always appear as a result of playing sports - sometimes even a long walk can cause a similar condition. As a rule, it goes away very quickly, so if there is no fever and the pain does not cause great discomfort, you should not take any measures - very soon, usually within a day, the pain will disappear without a trace.
Where does lactic acid come from?
So, let's try to figure out where this lactic acid comes from? During any physical activity, human muscles are involved. And in order for muscles to normally perform their biomechanical functions, they must consume a sufficient amount of oxygen.It is through the absorption of oxygen that muscles replenish their energy reserves - they renew ATP. During physical activity, muscle contraction occurs many times more intensely than at rest. But the more intense muscle contraction occurs, the more oxygen the muscles require.
But the characteristics of the human body are such that too intense contractions of muscle tissue inevitably lead to a blockage of oxygen supply. Why is this happening? During intense muscle load, local blood flow slows down and, as a result, the supply of oxygen to the muscles. It turns out to be a kind of vicious circle - the muscles require an increased oxygen content, but at the same time they themselves limit the blood flow, thereby reducing the flow of blood and, as a result, oxygen.
But the load on the muscles, despite the lack of oxygen supply, still continues. This means that muscles require more and more portions of ATP, a source of energy. And the body has no choice but to start producing ATP without oxygen, in the so-called anaerobic mode. Thanks to the glycogen contained in the muscles, ATP continues to be produced in the muscles even without oxygen.
However, as a result of such energy received by the muscles, local secretions are produced, which are called lactic acid. If you remember, it was said a little higher that during increased load, blood flow is significantly hampered. This means that the outflow of lactic acid from muscle tissue is also very difficult, so it accumulates in the muscles.
Lactic acid itself consists of two main components - lactate anion and hydrogen. It is the acid that significantly lowers the pH level in the muscles. As a result, a person begins to experience a burning sensation and pain in the muscles. And, despite the fact that scientists classify lactic acid as a soft acid, affected people are unlikely to call lactic acid that soft. 
Why do muscles hurt?
So, now it’s time to talk about the most important thing - why do muscles hurt? Feeling pain after training or other physical activity, a person immediately tries to find out how to remove lactic acid from the muscles. However, this is not an entirely correct formulation of the question.Most of the lactic acid produced during physical activity is very quickly eliminated from the muscle fibers on its own - within a maximum of two days after its production. Lactic acid does not tend to stay in the human body for long time. That is why the muscle pain that a person feels after three days or more has nothing to do with lactic acid.
However, here you need to be extremely attentive to your state of health - despite the fact that after three days muscle acid almost completely leaves the muscle fibers, it can cause damage. And as a result, a person will feel severe muscle pain until the muscles are completely restored.
And these concepts must be very strictly distinguished - lactic acid will not lead to muscle pain after a few days. However, it is lactic acid that can provoke muscle damage, due to which a person will experience pain.
And remember that the appearance of a burning sensation during physical activity, or immediately after it, does not at all indicate that a person will necessarily experience pain for several days afterward. However, it is still worth listening to your feelings - if the burning sensation is too strong, it can be assumed that lactic acid has been produced in very large quantities. This means that the risk of muscle fiber damage increases significantly.
That is why, if you suspect that your body has produced too much lactic acid during physical activity, you can try to get rid of it. How you can do this yourself will be discussed below. In the meantime, we should talk a little about what else can lead to the development of pain in muscle fibers.
What is delayed onset muscle pain syndrome? This type of pain got its name due to the fact that it does not appear immediately after training, but after some time - a day or even two. Many people may object - the muscles begin to ache almost immediately, and do not stop for quite a long time, up to a week.
However, this unusual, at first glance, fact is explained very simply - in the first hours and days a person experiences painful sensations due to the fact that muscle fibers are exposed to excess lactic acid. After a short amount of time, lactic acid is broken down by the liver and excreted from the body.
However, by this time another type of pain makes itself felt - traumatic pain. It occurs as a result of severe physical activity, resulting in deformation of muscle fibers and their damage - for example, overstretching. Such pain often occurs after stretching exercises, walking up stairs, and the like. It goes like this physical pain after about a week, however, in very severe cases, the injured person is forced to seek help from a traumatologist. Fortunately, this phenomenon is extremely rare and occurs most often in professional athletes.
Another reason associated with the appearance of delayed pain syndrome is the development of an inflammatory process occurring in muscle fibers. It was already mentioned above that an excess amount of lactic acid, coupled with muscle fiber tension, often leads to the development of muscle microtraumas.
Of course, the human body mandatory reacts to injuries, even small ones - an inflammatory process occurs. Damaged muscle fibers begin to receive very intensively those immune cells that are necessary to start the process of muscle tissue regeneration. Without this, restoration of muscle fibers is simply impossible. And pain arises precisely because of this very ongoing inflammatory process.
Moreover, remember that the inflammatory process is not always accompanied by extensive muscle injury, for example, a sprain - sometimes damage to just a few cells is enough. But injury to muscle fibers is certainly accompanied by fairly strong intramuscular inflammatory processes. 
How to get rid of lactic acid?
So, in any case, if there is excess production of lactic acid in the muscles, you should try to remove it from the body as quickly as possible. In this way, you can significantly reduce the risk of developing delayed pain syndrome, and the burning sensation will disappear, which will also not be unnecessary.That is why it is time to learn how to quickly remove lactic acid from muscles. True, in fairness, it should be noted that skeptical doctors claim that this is almost impossible to do until the body independently breaks down and removes it.
However, the second group of doctors are still encouraging and claim that it is still possible to remove lactic acid from the body, although not so easy. What methods exist? This is exactly what will be discussed below:
- Visiting the sauna
However, you should not go to extremes and try to spend too much time in the sauna without a break. Otherwise, the desired effect will not be achieved. The scheme for visiting the steam room should be approximately as follows - the first approach should last about 10 minutes, after which you should leave the cabin for about five minutes. The second approach can be increased by about 10 minutes, and the time spent outside the booth can be reduced to about three minutes. In total, it is permissible to spend no more than one hour in the sauna during one day. It is preferable to complete the procedure with a cool shower.
Be sure to take into account your general health status - under no circumstances should you visit the sauna if you have certain diseases that would contraindicate visiting a sauna or bathhouse. For example, such diseases include hypertension, diabetes and others. If you are not sure, be sure to consult your doctor before visiting the sauna.
- Hot bath
After about ten minutes, you need to douse yourself with cool water and stay outside the bathroom for a while. During this time, if the water has cooled down, add hot water and repeat the procedure again. There must be at least five similar cycles in total. After completing the procedure, thoroughly rub the muscles with a terry towel until the skin turns red.
No more than three such baths can be taken per day. And also do not forget that such baths are contraindicated for pregnant women, people with high blood pressure, women during menstruation.
- Drinking large amounts of liquid
And therefore, if you have a tendency to increase blood pressure, give up green tea. However, you still need to drink, so give preference to pure non-carbonated drinking water. You need to drink at least five liters of fluid per day.
And try to learn the right lesson from this incident - strictly dose the load to prevent recurrence similar situation. And you no longer have to rack your brains about how to get rid of muscle pain. Perhaps it makes sense to use the services of a professional trainer?
Every day, sports and a healthy, active lifestyle are becoming more and more popular, and laziness, poor nutrition and lack of mobility are rapidly being eradicated. That is why more and more people are visiting gyms and working out. various types sport, encountering both its positive and negative sides. One of the disadvantages of physical activity, which not only beginners, but also professional athletes experience, is muscle pain after an intense workout. Unpleasant and painful sensations do not appear immediately; they arise after some time, usually the next day, and cause a lot of inconvenience. One of the reasons for the occurrence of these same muscle pains is lactic acid, which is intensively produced during training, and the more intense the training, the more lactic acid will end up in the muscles. That is why you should not overload your body without having the appropriate sports training, in order to avoid undesirable consequences and not give up training altogether.
Let's figure out what lactic acid is, how it affects our body, and what needs to be done to get rid of pain in the shortest possible time.
What is lactic acid
Lactic acid is a product that is produced in our muscles as a result of the breakdown of glucose. Essentially, it is a by-product of breakdown, however, it plays an important role in the functioning of the muscular system. The thing is that lactic acid contains special substances used by muscle cells as an energy source. Thus, it is lactic acid that serves as fuel during training and makes it possible to exercise more and more intensely.
The process of producing lactic acid is considered anaerobic, since it does not require the presence of oxygen to occur. The paradox is that for normal work, muscles need oxygen, namely a large amount of it, but at the same time, directly in the process of work, the local blood flow in the muscles slows down significantly, as a result of which the level of oxygen entering them also slows down.
Thus, muscles in need of oxygen independently block its supply to the tissues. However, despite this, the load on the muscles remains the same, as a result of which the muscles need new source energy, which is the same glycogen, or lactic acid, which allows you to produce energy without the participation of oxygen.
Causes of pain
As mentioned earlier, lactic acid in muscles is one of the causes of pain after exercise. In the process of stress on the muscles, damage and inflammation of various tissues occur, and overexcitation of nerve receptors located in muscle tissues is observed. Acid, which is one of the components of lactic acid, reduces the pH level in the muscles, which provokes pain and burning. In addition, lactic acid, despite its participation in energy production, can damage muscles. They will need some time to recover, and like any other damage to the body, it is accompanied by pain.
Lactic acid is eliminated from the body on its own within a few days, which is why, in the absence of any measures to eliminate it as quickly as possible, pain in the muscles will last just that long. If the unpleasant symptoms last much longer, then the cause of this was injuries received as a result of excessive stress, and not the effect of lactic acid on the muscles. If you feel too much tension and burning in the muscles during the exercise, you should stop it, as there is a significant risk of producing excessive amounts of lactic acid, which can damage muscle fibers. Do not overload your body by giving it too much stress without prior preparation.
Lactic acid and training
Some people believe that pain after training is inevitable, however, when proper organization training process, the production of lactic acid, and, accordingly, the formation of pain can be controlled. As mentioned earlier, lactic acid is a source of energy that is used during physical activity and lack of oxygen in the muscles. There are a number of exercises that help to intensively use lactic acid during exercise, thereby minimizing its amount and reducing the duration and severity of pain after training. To do this, you need to accurately calculate the intensity of the exercises, as well as the number and time of breaks between them. This approach will help to more effectively use lactic acid and remove it from the body. In addition, well-designed workouts will help your cardiovascular and respiratory system adapt to the desired rhythm, which will help increase the amount of oxygen supplied to the muscles. As a result, the need to break down carbohydrates and process them into lactic acid will disappear or significantly decrease, and the process of removing it from the blood will accelerate.
How to get rid of lactic acid
As you may have guessed, and many were even convinced own experience, lactic acid in the muscles causes a lot of inconvenience, and, therefore, it is necessary to get rid of it, and the faster you do this, the faster the pain will disappear. There are several most effective ways to combat lactic acid, which we will now consider.
Massage
You should start with a massage, since it not only helps remove lactic acid from the body, but also restores muscles damaged during training. This happens due to improved blood circulation caused by proper massage movements. During the massage, the muscles are alternately relaxed and toned, which allows for intensive use of the remaining lactic acid remaining in the muscle tissue and causing pain. In addition, a massage will improve not only your well-being, but also the condition of your skin, and this can be considered an additional bonus to regular physical activity and a small reward for fatigue and discomfort in the muscles.
Water procedures
One of the best and time-tested ways to get rid of lactic acid is to visit the sauna. Its effectiveness is due high temperatures air, under the influence of which not only blood fibers, but also muscle vessels dilate, thereby improving blood flow and lactic acid being eliminated faster. If you alternate a sauna with a cold shower, the effect will increase several times, since the blood vessels will be in constant tone. However, you should not stay in the sauna for too long, or visit it if you have diseases such as hypertension, diabetes or any cardiovascular diseases.
If it is not possible to visit a sauna or steam bath, you can replace them with an ordinary hot bath. The water in it should be as hot as you can tolerate. The duration of the procedure is at least 10 minutes, and to enhance the effect, you can add various aromatic oils to the water to help relax or tone the muscles.
Fluid intake
Another very effective and proven way to remove lactic acid from the body is to drink plenty of liquid. This must be done throughout the day after an intense workout accompanied by heavy loads. It is recommended to use natural green tea as a liquid, which has antioxidant properties and breaks down acids, including those that are part of lactic acid. If drinking green tea is contraindicated for you for some reason, you can replace it with regular non-carbonated mineral water.
After every hard workout, especially after a long break, lactic acid accumulates in the muscles, which is what causes soreness. The release of lactic acid from the muscles can be accelerated or pain can be slightly alleviated immediately the next day after training.
Prerequisites for the accumulation of lactic acid in the leg muscles and soreness
Soreness and accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles, in particular in the leg muscles, indicate that training has just begun, and a sedentary lifestyle is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
After the first hard workout, an unprepared body experiences significant stress, especially if heavy physical activity is introduced in the gym or weight training begins on machines. Often, after intense cardio exercise, such as running, lactic acid in the legs prevents you from starting to run again for a long time.
How does lactic acid accumulate? It’s worth starting with the fact that human muscles work with a certain amount of oxygen, which triggers the body. Exercise blocks the flow of oxygen into muscle fibers, which reduces blood circulation and, as a result, lactic acid accumulates.
IN calm state Without physical activity, lactic acid is also present in the muscles, but thanks to normal blood circulation it is quickly eliminated without leading to serious consequences.
In addition, the greater the volume of lactic acid in the muscles, the lower the pH level, which is why characteristic pain, burning, and tightness appear in the muscles. A burning sensation in the leg muscles immediately after training gives a 100% signal that the next day, at about the same time, there will be soreness.
The occurrence of sore throat and the accumulation of lactic acid in the leg muscles is also possible after long walks, standing on your feet or any other active pastime, so you should not bother playing sports. By the way, it is very easy to remove lactic acid from the leg muscles.
How to remove lactic acid from leg muscles?
Lactic acid is eliminated from the leg muscles 3 days after training, as soon as blood circulation is restored, so you can wait while enjoying massages or hot baths, which relieve pain. If you don’t have time to wait, you don’t have 2-3 days left, you can resort to other options for how to remove lactic acid from the leg muscles.
You can quickly get rid of pain by starting repeated training. No matter how painful it is, you need to do at least a short warm-up to re-pump the muscle fibers.
To quickly remove lactic acid from the leg muscles, you need to alternate an active approach of 30-40 minutes and a 10-15 minute rest, then the muscle fibers will not be overstrained and the risk of injury or sprain is significantly reduced.
During intense workouts, it is recommended to drink water. A couple of sips restores water balance, and water, in turn, perfectly speeds up metabolism. Green tea or chamomile herbal tea will help normalize metabolism and speed up metabolic processes, due to which lactic acid is quickly removed from the leg muscles.
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