The Truth About Lactic Acid

Ever hear the story that when you exercise your muscles build up lactic acid, and that causes soreness, pain, and general fatigue?

I've heard it. I know I've heard it associated with pains from exercise. "Your muscles build up lactic acid and that's what makes you feel the burn!"

Turns out it's not true.

For people that are regularly immersed in sports medicine or weight training, this we probably already well known. For those of us that are allergic to exercise the old wives tales are usually close enough to reality that we don't care enough to research it and find out the truth.

This time around the truth just sort of stumbled into my lap. Here's a story from 2006 at the New York Times that discusses how the old "lactic acid = pain" story first emerged in the 1920s and persists today, despite it being established that the lactic acid is actually fuel for the muscles.

Interesting if you didn't know about it before, eh?