Undoubtedly, the image of Sunday was that of the tennis player Reef Nadal excited on the ground after winning his 21st Grand Slam” class=”link copy”>21è Grand Slam in Australia” class=”link copy”>Australiabut it has been closely followed since then by the immediately following scene in which the athlete, instead of resting, showering or attending to the media, goes without delay to a static bycicle and pedal for half an hour.
For many, the attitude of the tennis player who left Twitter speechless was a clear example of perseverance and dedication, but it goes much further. “What Nadal is doing after his grueling game is something that has been going on for a long time, especially in the world of cycling », explains Ismael Galancho, graduate in Physical Education, Sports Dietitian, researcher and disseminator of sports topics. “When there is a lot of effort, it is advisable to do this active recovery by performing a gentle exercise that does not exceed 30 minutes, ”explains Galancho.
“It simply came to our notice then circulation in the legs which allows this tissue to continue to receive blood and good oxygenation. This will help to get rid of them sooner waste by-products manufactured by the body during the year », explains Galancho. Lactic acid and lactate have been erroneously mentioned in articles about this practice, “but they are not the same, in fact human beings do not produce lactic acid,” concludes the expert.
Lactate and lactic acid are not the same
In this case, it should be noted that what the body produces is lactate, and that it is not the culprit of the crunch, as has been said for some time. “Lactate does not cause fatigue, on the contrary, it allows you to continue exercising in an intense game. It is a source of energy, ”explains Galancho.
Thus, by performing a moderate or light exercise during the half hour after the strenuous effort, it is possible to make this tissue continue. receiving blood and oxygenation is better. This will allow the body to clean up certain waste by-products that build up in the muscle beforehand, but not lactate as the main compound, which also, but for example hydrogen ions.
“It simply came to our notice then fatigue, simply correlates with fatigue and is therefore measured. Correlation is not causation. Fatigue is caused by other reasons, such as the accumulation of hydrogen ions “, adds the disseminator.
In addition, when more blood reaches the muscle, “it will favor the arrival of immune system cells in the muscle, which will carry out the inflammation necessary for the correct muscle regeneration after the damage caused, causing a faster regeneration “, he concludes.
