How to reduce muscular acidosis during training?
Too much lactic acid in the muscles creates a burning sensation and fatigue that prevents us from continuing to exercise. Today we’re going to talk about how beta alanine supplementation can increase carnosine deposits in the body and allow us to train harder for longer.
What is lactic acidosis and why does it cause fatigue?
Lactic acid is usually a normal result of the metabolism itself. Oxygen in the blood is necessary to convert glucose into energy, however, when there is insufficient oxygen, the body breaks down glucose without oxygen, resulting in lactic acid.
Lactic acid, or also known as lactate (that burning sensation in the muscles during training), accumulates in various body tissues, including muscles, and enters the bloodstream for the body to be able to use small amounts of it as energy, in the absence of glucose or amino acids.
People often have high levels of lactic acid during or after intense exercise. This is called exercise-related hyperlactatemia. The accumulation of lactic acid can cause pain or tiredness in the muscles. Normally, the liver breaks down excess lactate in the blood.
Some health conditions can increase lactic acid production or reduce the body’s ability to eliminate lactate from the blood. This can result in a more severe accumulation of lactate, which doctors call lactic acidosis.
What are the symptoms of too much lactic acid in the muscles?
Muscle burning, rapid breathing, nausea, stomach pain… if you have already felt this you have tasted the unpleasant feeling of lactic acidosis. Lactic acidosis caused by intense exercise is usually temporary and happens when too much lactic acid builds up in the bloodstream.
Signs of too much lactate can include a burning sensation in the muscles, cramps, nausea, weakness and feeling of extreme tiredness. This is the body’s way of telling us to stop physical activity.
The main cause of too much lactic acidosis in sports is intense exercise (excluding medical conditions and / or medications). When we exercise, the body uses oxygen to break down glucose and obtain energy. During intense exercise, there may not be enough oxygen available to complete the process, so a substance called lactate is produced. The body can convert that lactate into energy without using oxygen, but that lactate can build up in the bloodstream faster than the body can spend it, and that causes the main symptoms, so it’s important to avoid getting to that point.
5 Ways to Prevent Muscle Acidosis
As we’ve mentioned earlier, it is important due to the factors stated to prevent muscle acidosis as much as possible, and the most effective ways are:
1. Drink more water:
Drinking water or an electrolyte replacement drink can play a vital role in preventing the accumulation of lactic acid. We must not wait until we are thirsty. At this point, we are probably already skimming dehydration.
We should drink at least 12 glasses of water a day if we want to guarantee a healthy lifestyle, plus about a liter or a liter and a half at the time of training as one of the ways to avoid muscle acidosis.
2. Train regularly:
The key to keep exercise as a healthy and beneficial activity is to maintain consistency and to do it regularly. If we want to be physically fit, we need to exercise constantly, which will make the body more adaptable to additional energy production and will need to burn less glucose in order to obtain energy, which eventually means less accumulation of lactic acid.
3. Know when to stop:
As much as we emphasize consistent training and the motivation necessary to achieve the desired results, we must know when to step back in intensity. As we begin to feel the muscles ‘burning’ or we feel it costs too much to breathe, we must slow down until we regain breath, so that the body can supply more oxygen to the muscles. In addition, it is advisable to alternate periods of activity with periods of restful and inactive.
4. Always warm up well before and always stretch after training:
In addition to always warming up well before training, we should also always stretch immediately after training. Stretching after training helps to release lactic acid and provides immediate relief to the muscles, preventing the accumulation of lactic acid and muscle pain.
Lactic acid can take about 30 minutes to an hour to dissipate after training, so we must make sure to cool properly and stretch right away to speed up dissipation.
5. Take vitamin B, magnesium and omega 3:
In addition to the steps mentioned above, including certain foods in your daily diet can help control the build-up of lactic acid to prevent lactic acidosis. According to what experts say, foods and vegetables with magnesium, omega-3 and B vitamins are recommended.
Foods rich in vitamin B are green leafy vegetables, cereals, peas and beans, fish, beef, poultry, eggs and dairy products. Vegetables like spinach, kale, turnip, beans and seeds like pumpkin, sesame and sunflower are great sources of magnesium. And take an omega-3 supplement.
How does Beta Alanine help with lactic acidosis?
Beta-alanine is an amino acid naturally produced by the liver that, together with the amino acid L-histidine, participates in the formation of carnosine, whose main benefit is to minimize the accumulation of lactic acid. When lactic acid starts to accumulate too much, it prevents your muscles from accessing other fuel sources such as glucose. If the muscles do not receive any fuel, they will reach muscle failure more quickly.
What if there was something that could prevent lactic acid build-up during exercise?
Well, scientists have found that carnosine does just that, decreases or delays the appearance of lactic acid during intense exercise, allowing us to keep the intensity high for a while longer.
Carnosine is found mainly in the muscles but also in the brain and heart. Among its properties, it highlights its antioxidant and protective power of lipids, proteins and cell membranes, in addition to regulating macrophages, activating enzymes and its ability to act as a neurotransmitter.
Perhaps the most well known characteristic of carnosine is its ability to neutralize the acidity produced by increasing the concentration of lactic acid during physical exercise. The increase in acidity and lactate concentration are related to the appearance of fatigue and decreased performance.
But, what does carnosine have to do with beta-alanine?
Supplementation with Beta-alanine increases carnosine deposits in the body, thus decreasing or delaying the accumulation of lactic acid during intense exercise.
A daily dose of Beta-alanine in the order of 3 to 5 grams is recommended for a few weeks until the carnosine deposits in the body are full and we can enjoy the benefits of the compound. Then, a similar maintenance dose is recommended to continue enjoying these same benefits, mentioned above.
BioTechUSA has in its range products with Beta-alanine, of which we recommend:
Beta Alanine (90 capsules): An easy, effective and convenient formula to take the recommended dose of beta alanine distributed during the day (4 capsules = 4 grams).
Beta Alanine Powder (300 gr): Same compound as the previous formula but in powder (4 grams of product = 4 grams beta alanine). Take with liquid divided during the day in 3-4 doses of equal amount.
Black Test: A specific formula for men composed of several herbs, amino acids, vitamins and minerals aimed at improving the individual’s hormonal profile and performance. The formula also contains Beta-alanine to increase carnosine deposits in the body and improve the capacity for intense exercise.