Question

List the 5 ways lactate is cleared. What are the 3 physiological effects of lactic acid (lactate accumulation or more specifically H+ ions) ? What is the fastest way to clear high levels of lactate?

Answer 1

Ways of clearing the lactate are:

1. Long slow distance training: Also known as the Steady State training has greater benefits for lactate clearance. It greatly improves the arobic system.

2. Threshold Training: It is performed at and around the point of accumulation. This is the most effective way of clearing the lactate and clearing lactate from this method will directly transfer into sporting performance.

3. Tempo Runs: It is somewhat combination of first and second method discussed above.

4. Sprint Intervals: It results in a rapid production of lactate in the body as type 2 fibre becomes very active. The body doest not have much time to respond and so accumulation occurs rapidly.

Glycolysis

Glycolysis is the pathway by which glycogen and glucose are converted to two pyruvate molecules. In the presence of oxygen, pyruvate enters the Krebs cycle via acetyl CoA. Each turn of the Krebs cycle produces hydrogen carriers that enter the electron transport chain (ETC) and ultimately donate H+ to oxygen to form water, allowing the ETC to proceed. However, when oxygen is not present, the ETC cannot proceed which prevents flux through the Krebs cycle and results in a build up of pyruvate. If this was allowed to continue then glycolysis would stop and no further ATP would be resynthesized. Fortunately, pyruvate can accept the hydrogen carrier, forming lactic acid via lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). The conversion of glycogen to lactic acid yields only 3 mol ATP per molecule of glycogen, but this can occur in the absence of oxygen and the maximum rate of glycolysis can be reached within a few seconds of the onset of exercise. In contrast, complete breakdown of glycogen via glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and the ETC yields 39 ATP per molecule of glycogen.