Is the Exercise Cool-Down Really Necessary?
Full article here:
www.nytimes.com/.../15best.html
Excerpt:
The idea of the cool-down seems to have originated with a popular theory — now known to be wrong — that muscles become sore after exercise because they accumulate lactic acid. In fact, lactic acid is a fuel. It’s good to generate lactic acid, it’s a normal part of exercise, and it has nothing to do with muscle soreness. But the lactic acid theory led to the notion that by slowly reducing the intensity of your workout you can give lactic acid a chance to dissipate...
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Former Member
In a way this is misleading. Lactate removal to the bloodstream is not the only method by which lactate is broken down. Once oxygen is available again it breaks back into pyruvate and is shunted into the oxygen-dependent fuel cycle. So yes, tests show that lactate flow into the blood is slower when inactive, a result that could be just as due to decreased lactate production thanks to the lower metabolic rate of sitting vs swimming.
The bloodstream is just a pathway for lactate to move from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration so that it can be converted as quickly as possible. The amount of lactate in the bloodstream is indicative of the amount in the body, and charting the amount over time gives an indication of how fast the body is recovering. I don't think Dr. G is trying to say that all lactic acid gets shipped to the liver for processing.
In a way this is misleading. Lactate removal to the bloodstream is not the only method by which lactate is broken down. Once oxygen is available again it breaks back into pyruvate and is shunted into the oxygen-dependent fuel cycle. So yes, tests show that lactate flow into the blood is slower when inactive, a result that could be just as due to decreased lactate production thanks to the lower metabolic rate of sitting vs swimming.
The bloodstream is just a pathway for lactate to move from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration so that it can be converted as quickly as possible. The amount of lactate in the bloodstream is indicative of the amount in the body, and charting the amount over time gives an indication of how fast the body is recovering. I don't think Dr. G is trying to say that all lactic acid gets shipped to the liver for processing.
