Lactic acid is not the cause of muscle fatigue, and, what actually causes muscle fatigue has been something of a mystery, which has only recently being elucidated.
The actual mechanism for muscle fatigue appears to involve the leakage of calcium. A recent article from the NY Times Online does a nice job of looking at the issue and is worth reading for anyone who wants to know the real deal of muscle fatigue beyond the outdated and lactic acid “build up” theory
More interesting, lactic acid is a fuel, not a foe, to tired muscles. Another article worth reading that came out a few years ago, is called Lactic Acid Is Not Muscles’ Foe, It’s Fuel! and was also published by the NY Times. From the article:
“Lactic acid is actually a fuel, not a caustic waste product. Muscles make it deliberately, producing it from glucose, and they burn it to obtain energy. The reason trained athletes can perform so hard and so long is because their intense training causes their muscles to adapt so they more readily and efficiently absorb lactic acid.”
“The notion that lactic acid was bad took hold more than a century ago, said George A. Brooks, a professor in the department of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley. It stuck because it seemed to make so much sense.”
“It’s one of the classic mistakes in the history of science,” Dr. Brooks said.
I recommend people read the above article(s) on the more recent model of muscle fatigue if you know anyone still holding onto the old lactic acid build up myth.
"Finding May Solve Riddle of Fatigue in Muscles"
And
"Lactic Acid Is Not Muscles' Foe, It's Fuel"
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Originally Posted by Entropy
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