This is a subject often discussed by beginner and intermediate athletes. It comes with a vast sum of often repeated fallacies. I want to dispel one right now for all my friends who workout regularly and practice martial arts.
You may have heard it said, "lactic acid builds up in the muscle and causes it to hurt after your workout." You may also have heard remedies such as stretching, drinking water, taking protein, or taking some other kind of sports recovery drink.
The fact is lactic acid is a fuel, your body uses it as such when other sources ere depleted, and some times in the presence of oxygen is used to refuel worn out muscles.
Muscle soreness is often the result of unaccustomed intensity from all out effort in working out, or soft tissue damage caused by activity.
It is a fact that during high-intensity workouts lactic acid is produced as a by-product. In these situations, delayed onset of muscle soreness, or DOMS, is a result of micro-trauma in the tissue. While it is possible that lactic acid my irritate the muscle tissue in this case, it is not the cause.
One great way to reduce muscle soreness is to steadily increase workout intensity reaching your goal only through many sessions. This will also decrease your injury rate and increase the likelihood that you will remain disciplined in you workouts.
Another great way to combat muscle soreness is to use a cool down. In an appropriate cool down your body replenishes it's oxygen supply. The oxygen then allows excess lactic acid to be broken down as fuel, leading to lower levels and thus less irritation in already damaged tissue. * note this will not remove all soreness because the underlying micro-damage is the cause.
Remember, muscle soreness when encountered is a result of you reaching your goal. Part of building a better body is breaking down muscle and building it back up. The bodies natural response to micro-damage is to repair the tissue better than it was before the workout, resulting in more strength, stamina, and better performance.
~TJ
