Do you want to swing naturally without steroid courses? Unlocking the secret to gaining mass through nutrition and training. We guarantee from 5 to 10 kg of clean muscles per month. Every athlete has experienced a burning sensation in the muscles after intense training. Moreover, many athletes try to deliberately cause a burning sensation. This is one of the ways to stimulate muscle growth without the use of anabolic steroids. Now the conversation will be about how to stimulate mass gain in bodybuilding without steroids.
What causes muscle burning in bodybuilding?
Like all organs in the body, muscles require oxygen to function properly. Oxygen participates in various biochemical reactions, for example, in the restoration of ATP reserves. The more actively muscle tissues contract, the more oxygen they require.
During strength training, the supply of oxygen is significantly impeded, since blood flow is blocked. But at the same time, it is necessary to replenish the supply of ATP and the body switches to work in anaerobic mode. As a result, ATP molecules are synthesized from glycogen, but oxygen does not take part in this process.
During this reaction of resynthesis of the energy source, a metabolite called lactic acid is formed. Actually, it is this substance that causes a burning sensation in the muscles of athletes. The stronger the burning sensation, the more lactic acid has accumulated in the muscles. Under normal conditions, the blood quickly cleans the tissue from the metabolite, but we have already said that the active work of the muscles impedes blood flow, which leads to the accumulation of lactic acid.
The only exception to this rule is the rest-pause training system. Its essence lies in providing the muscles with rest between heavy sets and during this time the blood has time to remove acid from the tissues. After the end of the lesson, the blood flow is normalized and the burning sensation stops quite quickly, since all the lactic acid is removed.
It does not take long to remove the metabolite from tissues, as a large number of athletes believe. If you continue to feel pain in the muscles a day or more after exercise, then the problem here is no longer in the presence of lactic acid, since it was removed long ago.
Effects of lactic acid in bodybuilding
There is no doubt that the initial effect of lactic acid on muscle tissue is negative. Muscles need to get bigger and stronger in order to thrash from its effects.
We have already said that lactic acid is removed with the help of blood and it is quite understandable that with a high concentration of this metabolite, it can have a certain effect on the entire body.
Let's say a burning sensation in the legs will be much stronger in comparison with a similar sensation in the biceps. This is primarily due to the size of the muscle groups. After lactic acid is in the blood, it is split into two components - hydrogen ions and lactate. After a certain time, they will be excreted from the body, but at first they circulate in the bloodstream in the same way as hormones.
This leads to a corresponding response from all organs. Some of them react positively to this impact, while others negatively. Thus, lactic acid can increase the anabolic or catabolic state. To stimulate muscle growth, we need to achieve the first scenario.
Lactic acid can reduce the energy reserves of muscle tissue and slow down the process of their replenishment. If you start a new approach after a short pause, the burning sensation will appear much faster. If you are exercising to deliberately induce a burning sensation, then you must try to keep it for as long as possible.
This will lead to a decrease in the overall intensity of the session, but at the moment this does not play a decisive role. At the same time, to accelerate the synthesis of lactic acid, you need additional energy, but as we have already said, the reaction of ATP resynthesis slows down, since the supply of raw materials for the synthesis of this substance decreases. The body uses creatine as a raw material for the production of ATP.
If you've already exercised for maximum burning sensation, then you know that recovery can seem endless. Even if at this moment you significantly increase the pause between sets, it will not help you. But it's not just about slower production of ATP molecules.
If you touch the muscles after completing a set, they will be tense. This in turn also causes energy consumption. To eliminate tension in the muscles after a set and to speed up the recovery of ATP, it is necessary to massage the muscles. You can also work on the antagonist muscles for these purposes. For example, after working out the biceps, after pausing, start working on the triceps. Then rest again and move on to the biceps. As a result, while one muscle is working, its antagonist also contracts, but in the absence of load on it, it relaxes, and the ATP reserve is restored faster.
The positive effects of muscle burning
Lactic acid activates the synthesis of special protective HSP protein compounds. The purpose of these proteins is to reduce the rate of catabolic reactions in muscle tissue, which are caused by the action of lactic acid on tissue fibers. In addition, protective proteins maintain an anabolic background, which is necessary for muscle growth.
All athletes know about growth hormone and its properties. But not everyone knows that lactic acid accelerates the production of this hormone. In comparison with the secretion of growth hormone under normal conditions, its production under the influence of lactic acid increases several times. But this is not all the positive effects of the metabolite. Lactate helps to speed up the production of the male hormone. This is a very important fact for those athletes who do not want to use AAS. Thanks to lactic acid, you can significantly increase the concentration of such important anabolic hormones as testosterone and growth hormone.
What sports nutrition contributes to gaining mass in natural bodybuilding, you will learn from this video: