{"id":2538,"date":"2025-03-06T19:32:37","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T19:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/is-feeling-the-burn-necessary-for-achieving-results.html"},"modified":"2025-03-06T19:32:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T19:32:37","slug":"is-feeling-the-burn-necessary-for-achieving-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/health\/is-feeling-the-burn-necessary-for-achieving-results.html","title":{"rendered":"Is “Feeling the Burn” Necessary for Achieving Results?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Feel the burn!\u00a0It\u2019s a common refrain in fitness \u2014 as ubiquitous as reminders to pay attention to your breath or engage your core.<\/p>\n

But what exactly is happening in your body when you \u201cfeel the burn\u201d during exercise? And is it a sensation you should chase with every workout?<\/p>\n

What Causes Your Muscles to Burn During Exercise?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

The burning sensation you feel in your muscles \u2014 typically during high-intensity workouts \u2014 is caused by hydrogen ions, explains Paul Falcone, MS, senior scientist at OzHelp.<\/p>\n

\u201cHydrogen ions are produced as a byproduct of turning fuel (macros\u00a0like carbs and fat) into energy (ATP), which results in\u00a0acid buildup\u00a0that causes acute pain and soreness during exercise,\u201d Falcone says.<\/p>\n

This pain and soreness is what people are typically referring to when they talk about \u201cfeeling the burn.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Should You Feel the Burn?<\/h2>\n

Two people performing the same exact workout may feel the burn at different times, explains Jake Harcoff, MS, CSCS, TSAC-f, CISSN, certified kinesiologist and owner of\u00a0AIM Athletic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you start to feel the burn will be predicated on your body\u2019s threshold for managing elevated levels of acidity,\u201d he says. \u201cAn untrained person will likely \u2018give up\u2019 much sooner than someone who has trained for a longer period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Your body has a process for mitigating these hydrogen ions and preventing the muscles from becoming too acidic, Harcoff notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe body releases another compound called pyruvate, which combines with the new hydrogen ions and forms lactate,\u201d he says. \u201cLactate can then be recycled as energy for longer duration, low-intensity activity. This is why you will see a swimmer in the Olympics go directly from their race to another pool and swim slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supplements like\u00a0Beachbody Performance Energize\u00a0\u2014 which contains the amino acid beta-alanine \u2014 may also help reduce or delay the burning sensation associated with high-intensity exercise, allowing you to work a little harder or get in a few extra reps.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeta-alanine increases levels of a molecule called carnosine, which is used by the body to buffer acids,\u201d Falcone says. \u201cTherefore, it plays a direct role in the body\u2019s ability to mitigate acid buildup.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, he cautions, it might take up to a month for beta-alanine supplementation to make a noticeable difference in your workouts. \u201cContinued consumption of beta-alanine [over a period of 28 days] has resulted in reductions in fatigue during exercise in\u00a0clinical studies,\u201d Falcone says.<\/p>\n

Lactic Acid Build-Up During Exercise: What You Need to Know<\/h2>\n

\"Graphic<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably heard someone attribute the uncomfortable burning sensation to \u201clactic acid build-up,\u201d but that\u2019s\u00a0a common misconception.<\/p>\n

Lactic acid is found in sour milk products. As mentioned above, the body produces the similar-sounding\u00a0lactate.<\/p>\n

But lactate isn\u2019t what causes burning or fatigue. And while people may talk about \u201cflushing out lactic acid\u201d from their muscles, lactate is actually quite useful to the body.<\/p>\n

Another phrase that can add to the confusion:\u00a0lactate threshold. This is the point at which an intense workout goes from challenging to unbearable, and your lactate levels spike as your body tries to deal with the accumulation of hydrogen ions.<\/p>\n

These hydrogen ions \u2014 the byproduct of intense exercise \u2014 are what increase acidity in the muscles and cause that deep burn.<\/p>\n

Is DOMS a Result of \u201cthe Burn\u201d?<\/h2>\n

Delayed onset muscle soreness\u00a0(DOMS) and \u201cthe burn\u201d are two different things.<\/p>\n

While you feel the burn while exercising, DOMS typically occurs 24 to 72 hours after a workout. Both are caused by the same stimulus \u2014 intense exercise \u2014 but they don\u2019t have much to do with each other physiologically.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe burning sensation that happens during a workout is an indicator of the accumulation of metabolic byproducts and not of DOMS,\u201d Harcoff says.<\/p>\n

\u201cDOMS results from small tears within the muscle sarcomeres [units comprising muscle fibers] that occur due to the increased tension created within the muscle during movement and has nothing to do with lactate or lactic acid (which, again, doesn\u2019t exist in the body).\u201d<\/p>\n

Should You Feel the Burn to Get Results?<\/h2>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Just like sore muscles\u00a0don\u2019t necessarily indicate that you\u2019ve had an effective workout, you don\u2019t need to feel the burn to get results.<\/p>\n

You can still increase muscle strength and grow muscle mass with exercise that does\u00a0not\u00a0cause a burning sensation. \u201cMechanical tension \u2014 and the ability to create lots of it \u2014 will inevitably be the indicator of how good your workout is, not the amount of burning that the exerciser feels,\u201d Harcoff says.<\/p>\n

However, the burn can be an indication that you\u2019re\u00a0pushing your limits, which is often desirable for experienced exercisers looking to make gains, overcome a plateau, or set new personal records.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are accustomed to training, it can be a good thing, since it means that the targeted muscle is being challenged, which can lead to a stronger adaptive and rebuilding response,\u201d Falcone says.<\/p>\n

Should You Stop Exercising if You Feel a Burning Sensation?<\/h2>\n

You don\u2019t need to feel the burn, but you also don\u2019t need to\u00a0fear\u00a0the burn. It\u2019s a natural occurrence that\u2019s neither good nor bad.<\/p>\n

That being said, the burn is a sign that you\u2019re pushing your physical limits. Going too hard, too often, can increase your risk of of\u00a0overtraining\u00a0and injury \u2014 so make sure you follow a balanced program that includes\u00a0adequate recovery\u00a0time. If you\u2019re just starting out, a trainer or coach can help you push yourself without overdoing it.<\/p>\n

If what you\u2019re feeling during a workout is less of a burning sensation in your muscles and more like a sharp pain, dizziness, or chest tightness, you should absolutely stop exercising, regardless of your level of experience, and seek medical help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Feel the burn!\u00a0It\u2019s a common refrain in fitness \u2014 as ubiquitous as reminders to pay attention to your breath or engage your core. But what exactly is happening in your body when you \u201cfeel the burn\u201d during exercise? And is it a sensation you should chase with every workout? What Causes Your Muscles to Burn […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2539,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}