Does Lactic Acid Really Cause Muscle Pain?
For decades, lactic acid has taken the blame for the muscle pain you feel when you exercise - but does it really deserve its bad reputation?
Hosted by: Hank Green
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Sources:
pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3df9...
www.jbc.org/content/48/1/153.f...
www.physiology.org/doi/pdf/10...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/1...
www.sciencedirect.com/science...
www.merckmanuals.com/professi...
www.physiology.org/doi/full/1...
Image Sources:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
www.istockphoto.com/photo/you...
www.istockphoto.com/photo/you...
www.istockphoto.com/photo/lig...
www.istockphoto.com/vector/gr...
www.istockphoto.com/photo/cro...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
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www.istockphoto.com/photo/exp...
www.videoblocks.com/video/gir...
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Пікірлер: 671
“But dont be condesending... “
@christelheadington1136
5 жыл бұрын
That ought to cut down on comments.
@losangeles2oo7
5 жыл бұрын
I blow my phone thinking your picture was a hair... lol
@mileyli1347
5 жыл бұрын
Eduardo Rodriguez me too
@200odd300
5 жыл бұрын
Nice try, I use dark mode 😎
@monkeyplayer1
5 жыл бұрын
Someone please make a gif with this part!!!
True, lactate doesn't cause muscle soreness. But it is created through exercise. Which is why I don't exercise. I'm lactate intolerant.
@wilkerb
5 жыл бұрын
I know your are joking, but even at rest, we all have some lactate in our blood.
@firstlast-fr1le
5 жыл бұрын
that's pretty good. haha.
@TheHayes32
5 жыл бұрын
BaHahahahahahaha
@Tiki_Doll868
5 жыл бұрын
Made me laugh, 👍
@SpaceDwarfNova
5 жыл бұрын
Exercise is amazing Master Therion, what do you mean? What gives if lactate and some muscle soreness results, it's good for muscle growth! Just like the protein and calcium in milk, except don't drink it if it has the smell of lactic acid! If you do, your intestines and anal sphincter may suffer from "exercising" constantly for days on end... #LacticAcidMuscleSorenessInTheGutIsReal I'm sorry if that one was really bad, food poisoning IS NOT funny. I've had it.
*Muscle Hank has joined the chat*
@andreyzelinskiy3604
5 жыл бұрын
@@AxxLAfriku HUH?!
@maracachucho8701
5 жыл бұрын
Drugs are bad, mmkay?
@ThaFashionAssassin
5 жыл бұрын
Muscle Hank went the way of Rich Piana 😇
@sudhaarun851
3 жыл бұрын
Hi
@BossOfAllTrades
3 жыл бұрын
@@moregratitudemorejoyy3228 a unpopular character no one knows about
This comment section: 90% comments about Muscle Hank 10% comments about the video 0% comments from Muscle Hank
@christopherweaver9543
5 жыл бұрын
RIP
@nathanm.8823
5 жыл бұрын
.1% comments about the comment section
@-_-3315
5 жыл бұрын
"But when the world needed him most, he disappeared"
@ofc1290
4 жыл бұрын
Not even 20% of the comments are about muscle hank
@maracachucho8701
4 жыл бұрын
@@ofc1290 I love how you're replying so late this isn't a joke anymore.
Why do I have a feeling that this video was sponsored by Muscle Hank...
@TheCimbrianBull
5 жыл бұрын
"Muscle soreness is for the weak!"
@achi-leanathlos8376
5 жыл бұрын
You spelled "Jeff Cavaliere" wrong
My former biology teacher said it did cause it, but because i know he watches scishow i know he wont from now on.
@YounesLayachi
5 жыл бұрын
I bet that is very satisfying
@goommenter
5 жыл бұрын
@@YounesLayachi Yeah, teachers ain't humans, they just can't get wrong... from: science teacher
@ptrkmr
5 жыл бұрын
goommenter clearly not from an English teacher
@turtle2720
5 жыл бұрын
Teachers teach the curriculum. Even if it's wrong. I was taught that the sky is blue because of the oceans and asked the geography teacher if we could ask the physics teacher about it... but he replied (after a prolonged discussion) that he was forced to teach us what the book says (the curriculum).
@makyx4303
5 жыл бұрын
@@turtle2720 im pretty sure he didn't only do that but also thought us many things that were just cool to know. He told us much about abiogenesis (how the first life propably started) because he said he wanted us to know even though it isnt in the curriculum
I just wanted to say as someone that is currently studying to be a personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) - they have in their official textbook that lactic acid buildup is what causes muscle pain, so this video is super timely! Thanks for setting the record straight, I prefer to have the most up-to-date scientific information! NASM needs to get their ass in gear
@raresale889
Жыл бұрын
well, from what i research and still research lactic acid divides in blood in lactate and H+ ,because lactic acid is unstable and it disipates rapidly in the blood. So while in muscle ,H+ make muscle more acidic and lactate is a direct measure of of H+ ions in the blood and the fact that muscle is acidic iritates nevres and transmit the sensation of pain.Practicly kinda this is the lore.
@powerPryamids
Жыл бұрын
@@GDM1787 research it yourself and how dare u not be4 u run your mouth.
@Poetry4Peace
Жыл бұрын
@@GDM1787 LOL MUPP easily proen rong use old googl
@TheDarkhorse228
Жыл бұрын
@@GDM1787 Wow... an RN.... we are in the presence of a genius. I will never forget this day.
@KatieCottingham
Жыл бұрын
@@GDM1787 Clearly you couldn't be bothered to read any of the scientific research they're using to explain this. 🙄 Even my A&P professor outright said that the "lactic acid" myth in the textbook was wrong and current science proved it, and that was back in 2007. If you haven't read through the research that's even being quoted, you need pause before commenting.
Just finished reading a article about it. Good episode. Thumbs Up. Well done & very accurate information.
I literally misinformed my Mom at the gym with this BS yesterday haha
@Vinlyguyx420x
5 жыл бұрын
@Cranston Snord 52 year old ladies need gains too
This is great to know, I was wrong for years. Thanks for continuing your great work, guys! :D
Muscle Hank this is perfect for you!
@gligurr
5 жыл бұрын
stop commenting
@bergonius
5 жыл бұрын
No one likes you
@tensei3520
5 жыл бұрын
꧁꧂ why is everybody hating him
@carlosmp2043
5 жыл бұрын
@@tensei3520 he's e v e r y w h e r e in the comment sections with cringy comments
@prodigiousrebel5886
5 жыл бұрын
Keep commenting, people are easily manipulated and can easily be made to like you again.
But... what do I blame my muscle pain on now? It can't be my sedentary lifestyle obviously...
@cageybee7221
5 жыл бұрын
muscles tearmicroscopically when they are overused, then they heal stronger, exercise is basically tearing down your body and renovating it slightly better thousands of times.
@BruceWayne-us3kw
5 жыл бұрын
You are supposed to blame everything on the new guy at work. That or Congress, the president, minorities, religious sects, atheists, homosexuals, the government, vaccines, GMOs, gravity. Anything but yourself.
@bramvanduijn8086
5 жыл бұрын
You can stil blame acidity, just not lactic acid specifically.
This was incredibly illuminating! I have ALWAYS blamed the lactic acid, and I am 42! Hank-I will try, really hard, not to be pedantic when I explain this to people from now on...maybe I will just tell them to watch SciShow!
Thank you Hank for all of your awesome videos, years of interesting, in depth and thought provoking content and most of all for spreading critical thinking and educating people!
@nafrost2787
5 жыл бұрын
Agree 100% since I discovered SciShow and other shows a few months ago for the first time in my life, I actually fill smart
Thanks for clearing that up!
Hank, the master of muscles. Here to educate us about muscles by moving his mouth and lung muscles
Wow, that's actually what I learned in high school, so that line kind of hit me off-guard. Thanks SciShow!
Scishow is the emchannelment of “Um, Actually...”
@TheCimbrianBull
5 жыл бұрын
Scishow is also "that" guy!
@BruceWayne-us3kw
5 жыл бұрын
TheCimbrianBull I’m “that” guy. Whenever I hear someone say a misconception I pop in and say “um actually.” But it’s only when I actually know about it.
@TheCimbrianBull
5 жыл бұрын
@@BruceWayne-us3kw ROFL! 🤣 😂 😅
@vmp916
5 жыл бұрын
Remember when they did a video on poisonous snakes? That’s an um actually on an um actually.
I loved the little advice piece about telling others about this.
I need a gif of 3:28 : "We have to be accurate, but don't be condescending!" ... And the sparkly text - I love it! Or even better mugs, Tshirts, EVERYTHING!
That's good advice: "Don't forget to be awesome but DON'T BE CONDESCENDING"
I’m coming after my bio teacher
@jason200912
5 жыл бұрын
Gonna fail you because that's how humans react
@jasmincalifornia1
5 жыл бұрын
I'm coming after my college physiology professor...
@gardenhead92
5 жыл бұрын
It's always nice to let your partner finish first
@louisirvinelim
5 жыл бұрын
I'm coming for my college lecturers
@McDanClay
5 жыл бұрын
Don't be condescending
Oh! So yo DO know what your scishow and all it's useful information is doing to my social life hahaha... Love this show! Keep up the hard work!!
I love it how Hank had to make sure we weren’t going to use this information to be assholes haha.
Nicely done, my son is in pre-med bio now. I am a doc, can't wait to explore this with him
What a tease, I wanted to learn more!
I'm an runner and a LOT of the older publications push the lactic acid theory. Only recent publications stop talking about lactic acid and now just refer to 'acidosis' . Big thanks for publishing this.
Hank Green, I loved your style. Great work.
Great video!
I was watching this video for a highschool biology presentation, and this is really helpful.
Thanks for showing this, my nutritionist also tells to clear up lactic acid from the body by doing cardio
I read somewhere years ago, that muscle soreness was actually caused by calcium. When calcium comes in contact with an open wound (i.e. micro muscle tear) from the exercised muscle, it causes an inflammatory response, which also puts pressure on the surrounding nerves of the muscle trying to protect it.
Always good to learn something new.
That last bit was funny! I was fooled by the life science textbook at school, so thank you for this information.
And videos like these are the reason my bio teacher kicks me out of class. I still love you Hank
Well! I can forget about that chunk of information I learnt from my Personal Trainer course 😂 Thank you Hank and everyone from Sci Show!
Thank you for the PSA about not being condescending. It happens more often than I'd like to admit, I'm guilty of it many times and it's a very good thing to keep in mind as people typically don't like to be told they are wrong.
I love you guys! You guys are so funny and love your works tremendously. Gosh i wish i would be in such a job i can enjoy like that!
My exercise physiology professor hated this misconception. And ranted for a lecture on why lactate gets a bad name
This reminds me of another episode I'd love to see. Some years ago I saw something that stated that the accepted doctrine of fluoride strengthening you teeth was based on a single, faulty study. Personally, I don't see how something that leaches calcium from bodes would protect your tooth enamel. PLEASE do something on this.
great video learned a lot
This channel is the best
That's why I don't miss scishow or CC videos. I learned the lactic acid bit in high school maybe even in college.
I need that last bit in a gif. That was great. :D
Definitely agree with the small muscle cuts causing pain... Know this very well after a marathon
THANK YOU HANK. Also, lactate is actually an important fuel source, as it is extremely similar to It's precursor, pyruvate.
Hank looked like he was having so much fun in this video, it was nice
I learned something! Love to learn things.
Great content
I was literally about to join Patreon to ask you to do a video on this. One of those physiological misconceptions that triggers the sport scientist in me everytime I hear it.
Go sci show... never a dull moment
Love that disclaimer at the end haha
Great advice :)
pretty amazing that we dont even know what really causes muscle fatigue! im pre-med so from what ive learned, i gathered it was caused by torn up myosin fibers that were in the process of rebuilding to support stronger/longer muscle contractions. Sort of comparable to how when an individual experiences a bone fracture/break, the bone rebuilds itself even stronger than it was previously!
@bramvanduijn8086
5 жыл бұрын
I tihnk lack of ATP is still the problem. A braking effect on generation of new ATP due to localised saturation with unwanted waste molecules is still the most likely cause. The only difference is that lactate is not the braking molecule. The hunt is on to find the culprit.
Thank you!
Hank, you're awesome!
Dang you and that warning! I was already picturing myself going all AKSCHUALLY...!
"Correlation does not mean causation" Thank you Hank 💁🏻🌼
Muscle Hank a rarely occurance didn't make an appearance? Must be stuck in the gym
@StopChangingUsernamesYouTube
5 жыл бұрын
It's true. He got swole, and the doorway is too narrow.
I am not in high school yet so I am ahead of the game with knowing lactic acid does not cause muscle pain!
@chelsey8737
5 жыл бұрын
But dont argue it in class. I dont think theyd be willing to listen 😂
@radicalracc5918
5 жыл бұрын
It was literally on my health final and the correct answer was lactic acid XD
@harrygooch8943
5 жыл бұрын
👶
@kuhataparunks
5 жыл бұрын
Tips from a former high school student: Look up the general definition of “foundationalism” and you’ll be already ahead of most entry level college courses.
@JA-eq5um
5 жыл бұрын
Shut up you little know it all
Someone please make a gif of the don’t be condescending part please!!!!
@DonJorgeRM
5 жыл бұрын
Agreed!!
@s70driver2005
5 жыл бұрын
I already screenshoted it!!!
Learned something new today.
Learning never stops!!
Hank’s smile at the end there hahaha he’s adorable
I like that disclaimer at the end lol
Meanwhile, at every gym in the world... A: "Oh man, I worked out so hard, my muscles hurt from the lac-" B: "WELL ACTUALLY...."
@williamlevy6964
4 жыл бұрын
Who would've known it was a base, not an acid. Lol
Yet another video thats appeared at the perfect time. My legs are killing me after going to the gym.
I appreciate the ending comment about not being condescending, I feel that's an important distinction.
😂😂😂 The "don't be condescending animation" IS KEY!!!
I love the advice at the end for all of us with Asperger's. ;-P
Hank that last note made me crack up and thanks for setting me straight
Wow, I though my whole life that lactic acid was responsible for the muscle pain! Great video! Sub'd!
Teaching us nerds how to talk too, love this channel
Some time ago i saw a program where they put an ultra-marathoner on a treadmill. This person does dawn to dusk runs for FUN! While on the treadmill they measured his lactate (acid?), and as he ran longer and longer the measurement went down!
Well. Heck and further dang. This does change a few of the things I say to people I train.
That last part just got me laughing so hard XD it's like you know me
Hank is the information GOAT
Well that throws a bit of a wrench in my first year uni textbook.
When is there going to be a Crash Course Exercise Science, Nutrition and Health? Something that cover the physiology, biochemistry, and psychology, of exercise as well as general nutrition. Not to mention, includes pathology of common diseases such as Myocardial infarction and hypertension.
This is FRESH.
I loved the sparkles!
"We have to be accurate, but don't be condescending."
I'm very curious to know what inspired the warning at the end about being nice when you correct people in this matter!
love him!!!
Thank you for commenting on the vague and inadequate knowledge of DOMS and how it doesn't relate to lactate.
i love that TSA at the end, "DON'T BE CONDESCENDING!"
Do you guys have a correlation != Causation video on the moon and tidal waves etc...?
I think a video on what we really DO know about how the body works, would be really useful. And it would be short. It would go something like “people who eat less seem to weigh less, and people who weigh less, seem to live longer. The rest is commentary. Also we have no real idea.”
Actually this is what my science teacher taught me, and he learnt it as a competitive short track speed skater back in the 90s.
Cheers
In school I was taught that lactic acid causes pain in the muscles if you suddenly stop exercising, hence the need for a cool down. I'm assuming a cool down is still needed, but can someone tell me why if it isn't to release the lactate back into the blood stream slowly?
@mrman4279
5 жыл бұрын
Tamara Epps I think cool downs help flush the acid ( the protons) out of the muscles to kind of restore the ph and help u recover faster, and they keep ur muscles from tightening up so much so u stay loose
@Master_Therion
5 жыл бұрын
tl;dr to keep blood moving to make tired muscles happy. I'm not sure if this is another "exercise myth" but I believe cooling down allows the blood to keep moving through the body while the heart is returning to normal. Arteries are high pressure, the heart is what moves blood through them. But veins are low pressure. Veins (at least partially) rely on the movement of skeletal muscles and one-way valves to move blood. So if you suddenly stop exercising blood can pool in the muscles (especially the legs) which is bad because the muscles are starved for fresh oxygenated blood.
@anemac9
5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, and not only cooldown helps with the pain, once you’re feeling pain days after, you can exercise your normal routine but now with proper cooldown at last and alleviate the pain. It doesn’t make sense to me if damaged tissue were responsible for the pain. Unless, oc, if you have a other kind of lesion. I heard once that unused crystals left behind by the biochemical processes were responsible for the pain. So by exercising again to some point your body consumes the crystals.
@DEMONCOALITION
5 жыл бұрын
I work out a lot 6 times a week how i view a cool down is more of a aerobic exercise like running or doing circuit exercise were u do light weight high reps rapid pace for 10 minutes or more and working different muscles. That's what i use that for. going slower when I'm done with main work out like for my jog or circuit work out i do after im done, it helps my body get back to normal from hi blood pressure lowers my breathing tells my, Muscles your getting ready for normal day to day activity veins decrease in size and i feel calmer, lactic acid i like becuase ik im using my stored energy food from stomach and fat cells, but feeling muscle soreness takes 2 to 3 days to feel the effect for me. But if you r a beginner feeling muscle soreness ull feel more often like 12 hours after or 24 hour's after you work out if you work out for so many days for long period of times the rate of muscle soreness will go down or to not at all. if u don't feel anything and had a good work out which i mean by good workout is working till muscle failure u have built up a tolerance but if no muscle pain after work out means u didnt properly work then out, cool downs from what i experience don't help muscle fatigue but helps body to get back into natural rhythm
@elvinl.
5 жыл бұрын
The cool down is needed because the body doesn't handle sudden big changes very well. Have you ever tried running very fast for some time and then suddenly stopping? you most likely will feel sick. Same reason of why there is a warming up period.
Can you guys do a video on onions and causing drowsiness/sleepiness
I really appreciate that message about not being condescending for so many reasons lol
Interesting video 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Hank came through! Just got back from leg day and stairclimbers. It's too bad we still don't know what causes muscle soreness smh.
@think3rofficial
2 жыл бұрын
Actually, we mostly understand the pain part of it. When you do a workout (specifically in strength training) your muscles tear microscopically. I’m sure you’re probably familiar with this if you’re doing strength training. Anyways, this results in your immune system going in and cleaning things up as well as repairing your muscles. This is thought to increase the sensation of pain because of the mild inflammation going on. While there are other theories, this is the most convincing in my opinion because we know that inflammation already increases the sensation of pain. Remember though, this type of inflammation isn’t going to hurt you and may end up benefiting you indirectly.
"We have to be accurate, not condescending" Finally! A smart individual with a large following said what had to be said
My muscles hurt when I just get up from bed
@harrleenkaur
3 жыл бұрын
Sometimes Its even deficiency like d3 or b12
@chrispapageorgiou1904
3 жыл бұрын
Don't dare make fun of this guy's drama
@cedrickdgreat5706
3 жыл бұрын
Same here
@rendanivictressndou2142
3 жыл бұрын
I think you are just dying...
@8yuhg
3 жыл бұрын
Most likely tight muscles. Try stretching before bed
This has been one of my biggest pet peeves for years
Hank for President!
What does Muscle Hank have to say about this?
@TheCimbrianBull
5 жыл бұрын
Muscle soreness is for the weak!
@josephkoester3217
5 жыл бұрын
His muscles never hurt in the first place.