Will There Ever Be A Straight-Forward Answer To Muscle Soreness?

Over the past couple weeks, I've really learned a lot about the muscular system and human anatomy. Unfortunately, I did not get straight to the answer of finding out if muscles got worked hard enough even without being sore the next day. I have found answers leading me closer to the final result, but it sounds like the answer would be yes. The only case I can think of where you would not have muscle gain, is when you don't put in enough work, or you didn't do the exercise "correctly." However, it doesn't always need to be strenuous amounts of exercise.

                                                 Image: mdpi.com
My thinking has progressed because I start questioning about more parts of the body and get more curious, rather than jut trying to ask a yes or no question. This question involves the understanding of the human anatomy and the biology, and I really hope one day it will be easy enough for me to know this criteria like the back of my hand. I still wonder if there are studies that prove that lactate has anything to do with delayed onset muscles soreness (DOMS).

                                                  Image: DailyHunt
Now that I have gained a greater understanding of this topic, I can argue that you do not always need to be sore the next day after a workout to have muscle gain. I understand that everybody is different, but this seems to be the most credible answer. Before starting this project, I really thought that it was better to be a little sore to know you've put in a good workout. However, I'm glad to hear that's not always the case!

How Does Muscle Soreness Relate To Muscle Growth?

Hypertrophy (muscle growth), refers to an increase in the volume of proteins that make up muscle cells. This happens when the body is put through anaerobic exercises. White blood cells go to the injured muscles, while cytokines (cell-signaling proteins) are released, which sets off satellite cells that join together with existing muscle fibers, creating repairs and growth. 

                                                      Image: TeachPe.com

Rest is an important part, because that is when the muscle repair turns into muscle growth, which should usually last 48 hours after a workout. During a workout, muscles go through a contraction phase when they forcefully move the weight, which leads to microtrauma. Microtrauma then triggers muscle repair, leading to muscle growth. 

While all of the above is true, it's not the only way to gain muscle. You still need to factor in your genetics, nutrition, training experience, and hormones. Only a little over half the population will notice average muscle gain, while the rest either experience above or below average results. Another thing that you might hear all the time, is that nutrition is one of the major keys to muscle gain! What you eat and how much you eat has a huge impact on your results. The most helpful tip to nutrition for muscle mass, is to consume the correct amount of protein. It is stated that you need 1 gram of protein per 1 pound of body weight. Also, testosterone plays a big role in muscle gain. It may take longer for women, because men, typically, naturally have 5x the amount of testosterone than women.                                       

                                                  Image: Alibaba.com 

This article by The Mecca Gym did a really good job on being informative, but I definitely was left with some questions. One, when they mentioned how much protein  to consume, I remember hearing somewhere else the consume 2 grams per pound. So, now I am curious how to really know which is right? I know everybody is different, but can you consume too much protein? Also, they mentioned training experience has an affect on muscle growth because, "beginners who are exercising and eating properly will see faster results than those more experienced." I wonder why this is? I can see a side to why beginners do notice results within few months, but how come if you're more experienced it's not as quick? 

Works Cited

“Bigger and Stronger: The Science Behind Muscle Growth and Strength.” The Mecca Gym, 8 June 2017, www.themeccagym.com/science-behind-muscle-growth-and-strength/.

Lactate VS Lactic Acid

What is lactate and lactic acid, and how do they differ? According to Dr. Chad Waterbury, lactate is formed when the two enzymes pyruvate and NADH come into interference with the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase. This can also be found in an article on Scientific American, by Stephen M. Roth. Roth states that when we lift, our body will require energy faster than it can produce. Because of this, the muscles being worked will generate energy anaerobically, or without oxygen. In this process, glucose is needed to be broken down, which is when lactate is needed. Since this is happening, there is an increase of lactate, which leads to larger amounts of acid on the muscle cells. 

               

                                        Image: Cpsinmotion.com

Dr. Waterbury mentions a study done by Robert Robegrs, that states that lactic acid, on the other hand, is not even formed on the muscle. One thing I was a bit upset with, was my second source, Scientific American, failed to mention any information on lactic acid, and was very brief on the word similarity of lactate meaning lactic acid build up. 

Below is a video by Andy Galpin that is quick and easy to understand how the process to form lactate works. 

Dr. Waterbury concludes that it is a very common misunderstanding that lactate is the reason behind the "burning sensation" during workouts. He mentions that we should actually be considering lactate a benefit during our workouts, because it also tells our bodies that it is safe to keep pushing. Although Waterbury makes his claim, Roth provides information that the lactate is responsible for the burning feeling we experience during the exercises, just not the soreness followed by the next few days. Dr. Waterbury most likely would have a good chance at winning this debate, and could provide several sources. Stephen Roth did not have a very long and informing article, so he would probably be offered some good knowledge provided by Dr. Waterbury. 

Although these articles informed me on lactate, I still am at a loss for the reason behind DOMS. Even with this information, I am going to have to dig even deeper into the knowledge of biology and chemistry. I've come to realize that my original question has shifted a lot, but I am learning so much more than I expected. I'm curious as to how researches measure lactate and the build up on muscles? If it was true that lactate is not the cause of the quick pain we experience while at the gym, then what is? I'm now questioning if there is any reason behind this? Like, do our muscles just feel this pain because they are not being used this way every second of everyday?

The Reason Behind DOMS

My first two sources were both articles I discovered on the internet. The first article was by Christine Yu called "No Pain, No Gain? 5 Myths About Muscle Soreness," on Dailyburn.com and she cited several sources, which were all professionals. The second article, "Everything You Need To Know About Your Sore Muscles And Getting Relief From The Pain," was by Dr. Matthew Isner, on Bodybuilding.com. 

Both articles noted, that you should experience delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), but it will be more likely to happen when you start new exercises, or if there is an increase in your training intensity and time. In both articles I read that you could experience this soreness between 12 hour up to three days after certain activities. 

                                                Image: Express Heat Therapy

Although both authors could agree on DOMS, they might disagree on the reasoning behind it. Dr. Isner states that, "Lactic acid interferes with the actin and myosin that contract protein fibers of the muscle tissue, as well as the Glycolytic enzyme activity (the primary function of this system is to break down carbohydrates), which leads to the carbohydrates your body uses for fuel to result in lactic acid build up, leading to soreness." On the other hand, Christine Yu argues in her article that the build up of lactic acid does not result in DOMS. She mentions that during exercising, our bodies will break down molecules to get the energy we need. She states that lactic acid only happens to help our bodies pace themselves, resulting in the body cells of becoming acidic, but this only lasts up to an hour after a workout. Yu also found a study provided by Clinics in Sports Medicine, that points out the DOMS is the result of micro trauma in the muscles and surrounding tissue. 

                                         Image: Orihuela, Thomas, fitadapted.blogspot.com

Christine Yu interviewed a CSCS, NSCA-PTD, and PhD candidate, named Jon Mike. Mike expands on the difference between muscle damage and soreness. Although we might experience trauma on the muscle fibers, it is not always the exact result in muscle damage. He claims that, "some muscle trauma is needed to stimulate protein production and muscle growth." If it is an injury, you will most likely be able to tell right away, but soreness slowly appears the next day. 

One thing that really surprised me, was that stretching before a workout does not help reduce DOMS, but can actually decrease your strength, stated in Christine Yu's article, founded by Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Soreness is not an effective way to measure muscle growth and adaptation because everybody is different. It leads back to a genetic component, and is all dependent on how well your body responds to pain. It is good to regularly change up your exercise routines, or even reduce your time and load of weights once in a while, and engage in recovery solutions. Solutions include, but are not limited to, massages, hot/cold showers, sleep, and an increase in your protein intake. 

                                          Image: Healthline, Healthline Media

I am curious if Dr. Isner has done research studies himself? There wasn't a whole lot in his article, and he was very brief on his citations. I'm more curious as to how your body can continue to learn new routines and keep variety in working out? Like, how does it understand the difference in new exercises? Something I don't know, is how many muscles do we have in each body part (arms, legs, etc,)? With all this being said, still being left at some confusion, I think I need to go further with my research with human biology, to expand my knowledge on the lactic acid, and find proven results.