Getting rid of Lactic Acid

[Parky]

How do the experts among you recommend getting rid of the Lactic Acid after a long or hard session?

After a 5k row, I find that a couple of minutes on a "Power Plate" just massaging my quads and calves does work wonders. After that I go on a bike for 30 to 60 minutes, have another mmassage then am still able to pull just over 8.00 minutes for a 2k.

Anyone got any ideas or thoughts about this?

(71yrs and 250lbs)

[hjs]

Sounds fine, if you feel ok again and can erg at ok pace most lactic is gone.

That said, most sessions should stay much more aerobic, without much lactic buildup.

[jackarabit]

There is evidence that lactic acid is not "cleared" by post exercise warmdown measures. I have no citation available to hand. I have recently got habituated to cold starts brought rapidly to target pace but I always warm down to keep the recirc pump and oxygenator (heart/lungs) from dropping out too quickly. Maybe a hedge against deep vein thrombosis also, who knows?

As a beneficial post-exercise ritual, I have recently begun elevating my feet above chest level for 1-2' immediately after finishing HM efforts and following with a 1-3k warmdown. I have noted a dramatic and immediate reduction of ache and stiffness in quads and glutes with this warmdown protocol compared to the levels experienced during and subsequent to warmdown minus the elevation of the feet. I apologize to the xspurts for being a sample of one and totally unprepared to engage in the usual "scientific" point/counterpoint.

[Carl Watts]

Do a cooldown on the erg.

I find that 9 minutes at 2:15 pace makes a huge difference to the way your body feels the next day. You feel that bit of fatigue instead of any acute muscle soreness.

[jamesg]

Best way I've found is to get under a hot shower. This as the purpose of training is to get my systems to remove lactate as fast as I can produce it; and they do, and the warmer the faster.

[hjs]

There is evidence that lactic acid is not "cleared" by post exercise warmdown measures. I have no citation available to hand. I have recently got habituated to cold starts brought rapidly to target pace but I always warm down to keep the recirc pump and oxygenator (heart/lungs) from dropping out too quickly. Maybe a hedge against deep vein thrombosis also, who knows?

As a beneficial post-exercise ritual, I have recently begun elevating my feet above chest level for 1-2' immediately after finishing HM efforts and following with a 1-3k warmdown. I have noted a dramatic and immediate reduction of ache and stiffness in quads and glutes with this warmdown protocol compared to the levels experienced during and subsequent to warmdown minus the elevation of the feet. I apologize to the xspurts for being a sample of one and totally unprepared to engage in the usual "scientific" point/counterpoint.

Lactate gets used by the slow fiber muscle during training. If we get those working without producing extra we will clear it. Its pretty easy to feel, after a hard sesh we feel very rough, during the cd at some point we start speeding up, feeling pretty ok again. Thats the point you wanna reach.

[ArmandoChavezUNC]

To answer the original question:

Lactate can be "cleared" in two ways:

- In well-oxygenated muscle cells it can be oxidized back into pyruvate and used as fuel

- In hypoxic conditions it can be converted to glucose via gluconeogensis and released back into the blood circulation or converted into glycogen in the liver if there is high glucose already in the blood

It's a good idea to cool down after a hard exercise bout - the lactate will be converted to pyruvate and/or glucose no matter what, but you can help the process through active cool-down.

Hot baths, hot water, massages, etc., don't do anything to convert lactate into glucose or pyruvate. The reason those feel good has nothing to do with lactate. Lactate doesn't cause post-exercise soreness or DOMS.