Feel the burn or love the burn, both these phrases describe feeling the accomplishment of pushing yourself until you feel the burning feeling in your muscles. That burning occurs when the body fuels the muscles in a process known as glycolysis. It causes glucose to break down to create adenosine triphosphate—ATP. The amount produced depends on how much oxygen is available. The higher the intensity level the more anaerobic glycolysis takes place. Lactate is the byproduct. The increased lactate causes a hydrogen ion to separate to create lactic acid which causes a drop in the cell’s pH. You don’t have to feel the burn to benefit from a workout.
There are two types of exercise, anaerobic and aerobic.
Compared to aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise occurs in the absence of oxygen. Anaerobic exercise causes a burning feeling because it uses fast-twitch muscles that don’t use oxygen efficiently. Anaerobic exercise is high-intensity exercise, like HIIT—high intensity interval training—workouts. Aerobic exercise is just as beneficial, but at a low enough intensity to avoid the burn. It’s activities like swimming, cycling, and walking. You’ll get benefits from both types of exercise.
You can reduce lactic acid build-up and sore muscles following exercise.
Lactate will build up at some level during anaerobic training, no matter what steps you take to prevent it, but you can reduce the amount created. That allows you to workout harder without causing the burn. Staying hydrated helps. Doing warm-up exercises before working out and taking deep breaths also helps. You should avoid high-intensity workouts two days in a row to prevent build-up and for recovery. Pre-workout and post-workout snacks also help reduce the burn.
Since you won’t completely eliminate it, learn to love it.
Even if you do everything right to eliminate the burn, you’ll still experience it at high-intensity levels or when you push your body to produce more. Embrace that burn as a sign you’re making progress and pushing yourself toward your peak performance. If you love the reassurance of the burn, switch to HIIT workouts or weightlifting and take the extra steps to prevent it from occurring. It allows you to push yourself harder.
- Don’t push yourself every day to do high-intensity workouts. Your body needs to rest and heal. If you’re doing strength training, allow 48-72 hours for the muscles you worked to heal before doing it again.
- Work out regularly to increase your body’s tolerance for exercise. Do high-intensity workouts a few days a week with active recovery workouts on other days. Active recovery workouts include walking, core workouts, or swimming.
- Judge your progress using the burn and use it as a reference point. The burn lets you know when you’re challenging your body. When you can lift more weight or do a longer high-intensity workout before the burn starts, the more progress you’re making.
- Cool-down exercises after working out can help speed recovery and prevent muscle pain. Hydrate before exercise, during it, and when you cool down.
For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center