Protein Isolate
How does lactate become a challenge for athletes?
The dangers of lactate and how to prevent it
There are countless discussions about the most effective and best ways to practice exercise. How to do it is a very detailed and scientific topic. This sometimes refers to protein intake and its effects, and sometimes to the impacts of elements and compounds such as glutamine.
The role of amino acids is examined, and vegan supplements are also considered.
The role of creatine as a muscle builder is analyzed, and supplementation for weight gain is also discussed. Natural fat burning, vitamins, and their varieties are also of vital importance.
However, sometimes a series of harmful activities occur during exercise that have nothing to do with any supplement. Now, let’s talk about lactate. A professional athlete may be aware of the dangers of lactate, but many are not. What is lactate, and what does it do to the body?
Lactate or Lactic Acid?
The simplest definition you can consider for lactate is that lactic acid, when it loses its hydrogen or proton ion, forms lactate or lactate ion. So the first point is right here: lactate and lactic acid are different and should not be confused. Lactate is actually a product of lactic acid. Sports science provides a more accurate definition of this process.
This precise definition first states that an athlete trains too much or beyond his or her ability or standard set time, exposing himself or herself to fatigue and strenuous activity.
These severe physical conditions cause lactic acid to be converted into lactate during chemical processes, which accumulate in the blood and muscles, leading to severe fatigue and muscle pain.
Lactate is produced to allow a person to continue training with more energy, but its accumulation in the blood is harmful.
Another definition is that during exercise, glucose breaks down to provide energy. Lactate is part of this breakdown that enters the blood to provide energy for the person to continue training.
When the exercises become more intense, the lactate exceeds its basal level. This is called the lactate threshold, and it’s exactly the same threshold that causes muscle fatigue and pain in athletes after training.
This process can also be explained by the fact that when you practice too much, the body cannot produce lactate as quickly as it needs to, which is why the lactate concentration in the blood increases. Similarly, the blood pH level rises, making the environment more acidic. Lactate not only causes fatigue and muscle pain but also poses more serious risks.
This can lead to damage to internal organs such as the kidneys and liver.
Tip one: More than 50 years of studies on humans and animals have shown that lactate is not toxic.
Tip two: According to the FDA, lactate is generally safe and can be added to all foods except baby formula. Lactate is a safe source of calcium in calcium supplements.
Solutions to Cope with the Effects of Lactate
Now that you’ve gone through intense training as an athlete, you’ve crossed the lactate threshold. Your body breaks down more glucose under intense pressure, which is why more lactate is produced. However, lactate accumulates quickly, and your body can’t effectively clear it.
This is why lactate levels continue to rise in the blood. After practice, the problem begins: you’re very tired, and muscle pain has started. What should you do now? The answer is clear: you need to start clearing lactate from your body. But how? There are several ways to overcome these conditions.
The following are summarized and listed solutions:
1. Drink water
2. Deep breathing
3. Light walking
4. Cycling
5. Yoga
6. Improve aerobic and anaerobic capacity
7. Massage
8. Perform recovery movements
9. Get enough rest.
The ideal solution: predict!
As you can reduce lactate-related muscle pain and fatigue with the above, you can prevent it altogether before you start exercising.
For this purpose, the intensity of the exercises should be reduced, and the pressure should be gradually increased. One of the factors that causes lactate production at very high levels is when a person suddenly puts a lot of pressure on themselves.
In this case, the three criteria of quantity, duration, and intensity are very important: how much you train, how long you train, and how much you put yourself under pressure. You’re not going to train hard at every session.
Each training session can consist of different types of exercises, some of which may be quite lightweight.
However, one of the most important aspects of the lactate challenge is the type of nutrition and supplementation. Proper nutrition and supplementation can reduce the challenges associated with lactate.
Additionally, lactate can cause other problems that are much more dangerous, aside from muscle pain. In the above lines, we mentioned the possibility of damage to the kidneys and liver. The following can also pose a very high risk due to lactate:
- Risk of death
- Damage to the heart
- Nicotine reduction of the hope of adenine dinucleotide in the body
- Increased likelihood of anxiety
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Sudden weight loss
- Mood swings
- Headache
- Thirst
- Weakness
- Unusual fatigue
In contrast, there are also benefits to Lactate. These benefits are briefly listed below: Energy production: Lactate can be used as an energy source by the body during high-intensity exercise. Improving endurance: Lactate can help improve endurance by delaying the onset of fatigue.
Muscle growth: Lactate has been shown to promote muscle growth and development.
Improving cardiovascular health: Lactate helps improve cardiovascular health by increasing blood flow and enhancing the oxygenation of muscles.
This can improve athletic performance and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Improving glucose metabolism: Lactate enhances glucose metabolism by increasing insulin sensitivity and muscle absorption of glucose.
This can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Improving brain function: Recent research shows that lactate can have several benefits for brain function.
Lactate: Good or Bad?
Lactate is not necessarily a bad or negative process in the body. Endurance athletes, such as those in track and field, mountaineering, and triathlon, as well as participants in other sports that involve strenuous physical activity, are more familiar with it.
In these contexts, lactate appears to be beneficial. As muscle activity increases, lactate helps provide the energy a person needs. Reaching the lactate threshold allows an athlete to have more energy and spend more time training and exercising.
| Lactate threshold for athletes | |
| 50 to 60 percent | Rookie athlete |
| 70 to 90 percent | Experienced athlete |
A challenge called lactate
Lactate can be a challenge for athletes, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that it’s not bad. Lactate helps athletes achieve better workouts and provides them with the energy they need.
What causes lactate to become problematic goes back to the unconventional and non-standard way a person exercises.
Lactate supports anaerobic activities, and the energy needed for these activities is provided by lactate. However, it can also cause muscle pain.
The best way to avoid such situations is to practice correctly and systematically. A coach can be particularly helpful in this area.
YouTube videos can also be a valuable resource for obtaining the best information. Lactic acid and its byproducts are not negative; rather, it is the negative form of training that makes them challenging, and that’s something every professional athlete should understand.
