feeling THE BURN after wieght training

[morbicid]

i'm referring to the burning feeling in your muscles that sometimes is present the day after lifting, sometimes even the day after that.

how much do you guys know about it? i wanna know all about it!!

-is it a bad sign or a good sign?

-what exactly causes it

-CAN it be an indication of progress/growth? (i KNOW that u dont need to feel it to make progress, but when you DO feel it, is it such?)

-if i'm on a weight training routine where i usually feel that burn the next day, if i stop feeling it after a while, does that mean that my body is getting used to the workout and perhaps i should increase the weight/ reps ???


if its any help in giving advice, here are some details>
i'm 160 lbs. my weight tends to fluctuate between 145 - 165 depending on time of year/ intensity of training. i've never weighed more than 170, and even during my most intense lifting cycles i tend to weight about 160, so i guess this makes me a hard gainer. no matter how much i lift these days i havent been feeling "the burn" so i was wondering if i should increase length of workout/ amt of weight being lifted/ or amount of reps/ number of sets.

[morbicid]

i found this link (http://www.adrenalineadventures.net/news/50.html) but it didnt really answer my question

[Suntzu]

the TUMS thing is new to me…

[Ford Prefect]

I never heard of the burn happening throughout the day. That sounds like a urinary track infection. During a workout the burn is caused by lactic acid buildup, which is a waste product from converting glycogen to ATP for energy.



edit: BTW, it really has nothing to do with building mass.

[Kempo Guy]

You're referring to DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). The article in the above link says something along the lines of (and I'm paraphrasing): "exercise causes structural damage to muscle cells which causes calcium to leak out of the body...". This leads to the activation of enzymes that breaks down protein in your muscles.

So (as far as I know) since you're structurally damaging your muscles the body responds by changing the cellular structure of your muscle to strenghten and protect the muscle fibers.

DOMS is good to a certain point. However, if you keep increasing intensity without allowing your muscle to rest you may end up injuring your muscle.

This is of course extremely simplified, and is only my understanding (or lack thereof) of DOMS.

KG

[Kempo Guy]

Ford,

I was taught that lactic acid does not have a link with DOMS...
But, as you suggest the soreness you may experience during the workout is lactic acid (and as a note the glucose gets converted to ATP without the use of Oxygen, which causes lactic acid). The lactic acid inhibit contraction of the muscle as it gets in the way of energy production.

KG

[Knifefighter]

Lactic acid is the by-product of gylcolytic metabolism and is responsible for the burning sensation during an exercise session.

DOMS is due to micro-tears in the muscle fibers and the soreness a person feels a day or two after a training session.

DOMS is thought to be mainly a result of eccentric muscle contractions.