The Role Of Lactic Acid In Swimming

734 Words2 Pages

Lactic acid is a key component of swimming, and many other types of exercise. It’s what allows the muscles to have energy despite a lack of oxygen. Lactic acid is produced in strenuous situations by the body, with glucose and enzymes. In essence, why someone can swim races like 50s, 100s, and 200s, where a swimmer worries less about the oxygen they can take in and more about the speed at which they can move their arms. But it does hinder our bodies after the race. The lactate can easily build up, and the production of it can cause pain and fatigue in the muscles. The body generates the majority of its energy using aerobic methods, which means with oxygen. Although some situations require energy to be produced faster than our bodies can deliver oxygen. In these situations the body produces energy anaerobically, meaning without …show more content…

When the swimming becomes strenuous, breathing becomes labored and swimmers lose their rhythmic breathing pattern. As we swim a race, we begin to breathe faster in an attempt to get more oxygen to our muscles. When the body realizes that it is not being provided with enough oxygen, it begins the process of anaerobic respiration and lactic acid production. As the lactic acid is produced in the body, the majority of it begins to build up within the muscles. This causes acidity in the muscles, slows the ability to do more work and is natural defense mechanism for the body. It prevents permanent damage during exertion by slowing the key systems needed to maintain muscle contraction, and allows for a greater performance. When the body slows down, oxygen becomes available and lactate reverts back into pyruvic acid, allowing the body to begin recovering from the event. Once your body has recovered from the event, and a sufficient amount of oxygen has returned to your muscles the lactate will have been purged from your

Open Document