Lactic Acid and Hydration Explained
Many people think lactic acid builds up in muscles during exercise and causes soreness, while hydration is just about drinking water to flush it out. In reality, lactic acid is a natural byproduct of how your body makes energy, and staying hydrated supports your overall performance without directly clearing it.
Your muscles produce lactate, often called lactic acid, when you exercise hard and oxygen runs low. This happens through anaerobic glycolysis, a process that breaks down glucose quickly for fuel. Even at rest, your body makes some lactate, but it clears it fast by turning it into energy in muscles or converting it back to glucose in the liver through the Cori cycle. The trouble starts when production outpaces clearance, like during intense workouts. Trained athletes handle this better, reaching their lactate inflection point, where levels spike, at 80 to 90 percent of their max oxygen use. Untrained folks hit it sooner, around 50 to 70 percent, leading to quicker fatigue.
Buffering systems help too. Hydrogen ions from lactic acid get neutralized by bicarbonate to avoid acidosis, keeping your blood pH stable. Lactate itself is not the villain. It fuels slow-twitch muscle fibers and the heart, acting more like helpful fuel than waste. Muscle soreness days later comes from other factors, not lactic acid, which clears from muscles in 30 to 60 minutes after stopping.
Hydration plays a key role in exercise but not by flushing lactic acid. Water makes up 60 percent of your body and aids nutrient transport, temperature control, and joint movement. Dehydration stresses muscles, raises oxidative damage, and slows recovery, but myths about extra water after massages or workouts to remove lactic acid are wrong. Massage lowers stress hormones and heart rate without needing chugging water. Focus on steady daily hydration to keep tissues flexible and support energy processes, including lactate handling.
Lactate buildup signals your limits, while good hydration keeps everything running smoothly during activity.
Sources
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12733257/
https://www.revisiondojo.com/ib/ib-sehs/ib-sports-exercise-and-health-science-sehs-new-a233-lactate-inflectio-29911/notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus
https://www.physicaltherapt.com/field-research-blog
