When athletes and coaches talk about accumulating blood lactate, they are generally focused on the work and conditioning aspects of exercise. It’s not usually thought about in terms of fat burning.
However, in this article we’ll explore a different side. How accumulating blood lactate during a workout can stimulate the secretion of human growth hormone (HGH) and promote fat burning.
What are Lactate and HGH?
Lactate is a byproduct of exercise that forms when your muscles use glucose for energy. As you exercise harder, your muscles produce more lactate, which accumulates in the blood. HGH, on the other hand, is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. It plays a crucial role in regulating growth, metabolism, and body composition.
The Benefits of Lactate and HGH
Studies have shown that accumulating blood lactate during exercise can stimulate the secretion of HGH. This is great news for those looking to improve their body composition.
That’s because HGH promotes fat burning and helps to build lean muscle mass. When you exercise at high intensity and push yourself to the limit, your body produces more HGH, which can lead to better body composition results.
How to Accumulate Lactate
To accumulate lactate, you need to exercise at a high intensity. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of the best ways to achieve this. HIIT involves short bursts of intense activity followed by rest periods. This type of workout allows you to push your muscles to the limit, producing more lactate and stimulating the secretion of HGH.
Another way to do this without high-intensity intervals is to use supersets with higher reps.
Superset training involves performing two or more compound exercises back-to-back without any rest in between, leading to an increase in heart rate and lactate production. A German Body Composition training program is an example of using this strategy.
These training methods create a high-intensity workout, allowing you to push your muscles to the limit and stimulate the secretion of HGH, leading to improved body composition results.
Benefit from Accumulating Blood Lactate
In conclusion, accumulating blood lactate during exercise is a great way to stimulate the secretion of HGH and promote fat burning.
This can lead to better body composition results, including an increase in lean muscle mass and a decrease in body fat. So the next time you hit the gym, push yourself to the limit and take advantage of the benefits of lactate and HGH.
References:
- Bishop, D., & Turner, P. (2016). Influence of acute lactate and hydrogen ion accumulation on growth hormone and cortisol secretion. Sports Medicine, 46(6), 825-836.
- von Schulsenger, J., Verges, S., Vieux, N., Salleron, J., Barbier, B., Le Gallais, D., … & Sagot, J. M. (2013). The impact of high-intensity intermittent exercise on lactate and growth hormone responses. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 12(2), 314.