But I don't Wanna Feel The Burn...

If you take my classes or train with me regularly you know I tend to blather about certain body parts, muscles, and/or processes in the body while we are working out because I like to "educate" others on this amazing machine we are currently inhabiting. I throw out all this scientific terminology because well, if you don't use it, you lose it AND sometimes I feel like my brain is going to explode because I just picked up something amaze in a sci journal that makes me really excited. One of the coolest things about fitness and nutrition is that new things are constantly being discovered and information we have always taken for granted are constantly being reevaluated.

BUT EVERYONE needs to know the basics, what is happening in the body while you are working out, and why you feel the way you do while you are pushing your body to the limit. Today in class I mentioned the term lactic acid and half of you looked on me like I was on crack. I realize a lot of you know you "should be" feeling the burn but don;t quite understand "why". Let's go over this one today! I'll keep it super simple so the next time I say "feel the burn" you'll not only know what I'm talking about, BUT you'll be excited about it!

Ok so the body needs energy to do ANYTHING. Even when we binge watch Netflix and "lay like broccoli" (<--- name that movie) our body is using energy. ENERGY has a little chemical party in our body and produces ATP (andenosine triphosphate). I probably spelled that wrong. Don't judge me. This ATP can be produced in (basically) 1 of 2 ways: aerobic (using oxygen, long runs) or anaerobic (not using oxygen, really short intense sprints or jumping).

Both of these systems tend to work at the same time, depending on what activity you are doing. Let's say you see a Zombie-Fire-breathing-Polar-bear 30 feet from you, initially you would sprint away like lighting (anaerobic) but then as you continue to run at a decent clip, your body would switch over to your aerobic energy system.
We get a limited reserve of anaerobic ATP (it's like 12 seconds worth) and a practically unlimited amount of aerobically produced ATP. Our body is amazing and uses a ton of different sources to keep the energy coming so we are always ready to go!
You will never run out of energy.
I don't want to hear that ever. Capish? Cool.


A by-product of this whole anaerobic energy expenditure thing is LACTIC ACID.  Lactic acid is just another energy source in the body. It's always in there, moving around, and if cooked long enough can be turned into ATP as well, BUT we don't actually start feeling it until we are working out or doing something strenuous for a certain amount of time. The more we try to force that anaerobic system to work, the more the lactic acid accumulates, builds up, until your body can no longer process it and a burning sensation occurs. Yayyyyy! Mikey LIKES IT! This is not a bad thing! It's just that extra bit of coffee that spills out of your Peppermint Mocha after the Barista puts the lid on.
That little bit of spillage protects your muscle and is your body telling you you are burning carbs for energy. Ummm... yay. 
The longer you work out for (in terms of months, years, etc), the longer you can go without feeling this burning sensation during workouts because you are training your muscles to become stronger and develop a higher resistance to the lactic acid. Eventually you learn how much further you can push yourself by feeling that burn and knowing what the intensity means for your body.

Keep pushing! If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you, LITERALLY.

Tristan,
xo