Less muscle acidification

How does muscle pain develop?

Lactic acid is formed during the burning of carbohydrates and sugars. Lactic acid is a fast energy source, which is used at high intensity. Lactic acid is also present in your muscles at rest. With little effort, your body succeeds well in draining and neutralizing and removing it. But during intensive exercise an accumulation of waste products such as lactic acid occurs.

Lactic acid can also be burned, but sufficient oxygen is needed. As long as the oxygen supply to your muscles is sufficient, the production of lactic acid and the burning of lactic acid are in balance.

 

 

 

If you exercise more intensively or for longer continuously, more lactic acid is released and insufficient oxygen can be supplied to completely burn off the lactic acid that is released. Lactic acid builds up in your muscle tissue, causing your muscles to “acidify”. The worse your muscles acidify, the more

 

Acidification due to the accumulation of lactic acid in your muscle tissue causes muscle pain, a burning sensation in your muscles. Your body sends out a signal to slow down until the lactic acid has been transported to your kidneys via the bloodstream.

Both lactic acid and others provide a 'paralyzing' effect when you start exercising again. The accumulation of waste products, such as lactic acid and H + ions in your muscles, reduces the blood supply to the muscles, making them function less well. Your muscle fibers can contract less efficiently and your sports performance decreases. The muscle pain usually lasts for a few days, until your body has converted most of the waste.

How can I prevent muscle acidification?

Trained muscles acidify less quickly than untrained muscles. If your muscles become acidic after a short time, they are insufficiently trained. So build up slowly, so that you do not overload the muscles. If you want to prevent muscle pain, do not start with long and intensive training if you are not used to that. Also, take plenty of rests and breaks to keep your heart rate low. The higher your heart rate, the greater the risk of muscle acidification. In addition, take sufficient days of rest. Start alternating one day of exercise with two days of rest. Once your muscles are used to intensive strain, you can train every other day.

What do I do if my muscles are acidic?

Give your muscles plenty of rest to recover. During regeneration, your body also makes new muscle cells, so you become stronger. Do you suffer from muscle pain, take extra care and wait to exercise. Your muscle cells need 3 to 5 days to regenerate. If you continue to train with acidic muscles, you run a high risk of long-term muscle stiffness and permanent muscle damage.

If you often and quickly suffer from muscle acidification, have your thyroid levels, vitamin D, iron and vitamin B12 tested by means of a blood value assessment.

Some athletes use bicarbonate to neutralize lactic acid and prevent muscle acidification. However, sodium bicarbonate is incredibly rich in sodium (table salt). It ensures increased blood pressure (hypertension), diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, kidney problems, urinary tract stones and even heart problems.

How do I reduce muscle pain?

The most natural way to reduce your muscle acidity is a sedating sports massage. Such a solid muscle massage ensures a better circulation and waste of the acidifying waste products, so that the muscle pain disappears faster and you can quickly achieve higher sports performances again.