1.ATP energy supply. ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the only direct energy source for muscle activity. Under the catalysis of enzymes, ATP is rapidly decomposed, releasing energy for muscle contraction. There is very little ATP in muscle, which must be decomposed and synthesized at the same time to supply the needs of muscle continuous activity. There are three ways to synthesize ATP after decomposition, one is aerobic oxidation of sugar and fat, the other is decomposition of CP (creatine phosphate), and the third is anaerobic decomposition of glycogen.
Second, anaerobic metabolism. Anaerobic metabolism is an integral part of human energy metabolism. When muscles are engaged in short-term high-load exercise, the supply of oxygen is not enough for aerobic oxidation of sugar, so muscles use the energy released by CP and anaerobic decomposition of sugar to synthesize ATP for muscle exercise.
Third, the anaerobic decomposition of sugar. Anaerobic decomposition of sugar refers to the decomposition of glycogen or glucose into lactic acid under insufficient oxygen supply, and at the same time, it quickly releases energy to synthesize ATP for muscle contraction. Because CP is rarely stored in muscle, anaerobic decomposition of sugar is the main way of anaerobic metabolism for energy supply.
The metabolic product of anaerobic decomposition of sugar is lactic acid, and the feeling of muscle soreness is caused by a large accumulation of lactic acid. Lactic acid produced by anaerobic metabolism of muscle can not be converted into sugar in muscle, only a small part is oxidized, and most of it is transported from blood to liver and converted into glycogen.
As can be seen from the above, muscle soreness is inevitable after weight-bearing training. Only when lactic acid continuously enters the liver through blood circulation and is converted into glycogen will muscle soreness gradually disappear. This process is part of the recovery process after training.
Lactic acid is a strong acid. If it accumulates too much in the body, the stability of pH in the body will be destroyed, thus reducing the working ability of the body. The experience of many bodybuilders proves that if you persist in training when your muscles are sore, your muscles will not feel stimulated and it will be difficult to gain anything. Moreover, muscle soreness will make the instinctive reaction of muscles tend to reject muscle movement, and it is difficult to concentrate on training, let alone establish muscle-will contact. So it's best to wait until the muscle aches disappear before training. Although your training enthusiasm is very high and your training desire is very strong, you should understand that muscles can't grow fully without full recovery.
So, can the disappearance of muscle soreness be used as a standard for the complete recovery of the body? To understand this problem, we need to understand the concept of "recovery" first.
The consumption and recovery process of bodybuilding training can be divided into three stages:
The first stage: in the exercise process, the consumption process is dominant. Because the consumption of energy substances is greater than recovery, energy substances are gradually reduced during exercise, and the working ability of muscles and body systems is gradually reduced.
The second stage: recovery stage after exercise. After the exercise stops, the consumption process is weakened and the recovery process is dominant. At this time, the energy substance and the functions of various organs and systems gradually returned to the original level.
The third stage: excessive recovery stage. The regeneration and synthesis of energy substances in the collective are further strengthened, and the substances consumed during exercise not only return to the original level, but also exceed the original level for a period of time. At this time, the body's working ability is the strongest. This is called over-recovery or over-compensation, and then gradually return to the original level.
"Excessive recovery" is an important theoretical basis of bodybuilding. Whether muscles can fully grow after high-intensity and overload weight-bearing training depends on the level of excessive recovery. Because of excessive recovery, the storage of energy substances in muscle fibers is higher than before, the muscle circumference is increased, and the load capacity is increased. This is the best time to put into training. It can be said that the standard of complete recovery is "whether the body can recover to the maximum extent". Excessive recovery is the process of excessive compensation and storage of ATP, CP, muscle glycogen, protein and other energy substances, while "muscle soreness disappears" is only the process of converting lactic acid into part of glycogen. It can be seen that "the disappearance of muscle soreness" does not mean excessive recovery, so it cannot be used as a standard for complete recovery.
Intuitively speaking, after excessive recovery, due to the excessive compensation of energy substances, the muscles in the training area swell and harden, and the muscle circumference increases. At this time, it is best to start training with greater load. Otherwise, the storage of energy-supplying substances in muscles will gradually decrease, and the opportunity will be missed.
Finally, it should be explained that excessive recovery is based on two foundations, namely, adequate nutrition and adequate sleep. After muscle overwork, the supplement of carbohydrate and protein is the material basis of excessive recovery. Adequate sleep can effectively restore energy. More importantly, the synthesis and regeneration of most energy substances are basically carried out during sleep. Therefore, we must not underestimate the two important links of nutrition and sleep, or we will lose more than we gain.