Redefining the Burn

I recently read a very interesting article on a piece of research that seems to be changing the way we view the “burn”. You know, that hot acidy feeling in the muscle caused by intense exercise, the burn that was previously thought to be the effect of a waste by-product produced from burning sugars in the muscle (lactic acid).

This research is starting to show that this burning sensation is actually caused by the release of myokines, a metabolic signalling molecule whose role is to instruct the body to release fat from storage (body fat) and also tell muscle tissue to burn it off. It seems to be an automatic response from our bodies in times of high energy demand, to dump body fat as an additional form of energy to sugars. When you train light you burn a higher ratio of fats, when you train hard you burn a higher ratio of carbohydrates, and when you train like an animal and feel the burn your body is basically trying burn high ratio of both.

These myokines also have an amazing anti-inflammatory response, which makes sense as your body is trying to be as efficient as possible at repairing itself. When the body gets pushed hard, these molecules help muscle repair by reducing inflammation. It’s like your body releasing molecules that can both cook and clean. Well that’s my take on it anyway; correct me if I’m wrong.

It really should be noted as to how powerful an anti-inflammatory tool these molecules are said to be, more powerful than anything found in any fruit or vegetable, making this the real anti-aging and recovery tool. Reducing inflammation is the most potent way of improving your body in my opinion.  The only way it can be undone is by over-training, so this is why we recommend only training 3 times a week, intensely!

See you in training to produce some Myokines, to put a few extra years on your life and keep you far far away from a doctors ward.