Gary Dawkins shares some tips on how to recover well and faster after exercise.
Removing lactic acid
1. Acid forms as a byproduct of using the anaerobic (without the use of oxygen) energy system.
The anaerobic energy system is called upon when your exercise is so intense that your aerobic (with the use of oxygen) energy system cannot keep up with the oxygen demands of your fast-twitch muscle-fibre contractions.
2. The types of exercise that cause lactic acid to accumulate in our fast-twitch muscle fibres include:
High intensity interval training (HIIT) such as boxing, hill walking (running), sprinting, strength (resistance) training, plyometric training.
3. Why is it better to remove this lactic acid build-up faster?
We do this to prevent post-exercise muscle soreness associated with lactate build up in fast-twitch muscle fibres.
4. What does your body do with lactic acid build up?
The liver converts lactic acid back into glucose (by a process called gluconeogenesis), which is then used as energy. The acid turns from foe to friend.
The faster we can make this happen, the faster we can recover from exercise.
How to remove lactic acid?
1. Always cool down. Immediately after a weights training session (resistance training), and/or intense cardiovascular session, such as HIIT, ensure a warm-down of light endurance work (light cycling, light jogging etc) for 7-10 minutes.
