Video summary

Pro Cyclists Are Drinking Lactate. Here's Why.

Main summary

Key takeaways

Science and Nature

Scientific concepts / discoveries / nature phenomena

1) Lactate is not a waste product

  • Lactate is produced continuously by muscles and is used as energy by multiple tissues.
  • The brain, heart, and endurance-oriented (slow-twitch) fibers can use lactate for fuel even during rest.

2) The “burn” is not caused by lactate

  • The acute “acidic burn” during hard efforts is attributed to hydrogen ions (H⁺) accumulating, which lowers pH.
  • Lactate production at physiological pH is described as lactate (not “lactic acid”), and lactate can help buffer/mitigate hydrogen-ion effects.
  • Therefore, lactate is framed as not the “arsonist,” but part of the system that helps manage acidity.

3) Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is not due to lactate

  • DOMS is attributed to mechanical damage and inflammation from intense exercise.
  • Lactate in the blood is said to be cleared within ~1 hour after stopping—well before soreness develops.
  • So, lactate is argued to be a mismatch with the timing/mechanism of DOMS.

4) Lactate Shuttle (lactate transport and use during exercise)

Key mechanism (as presented):

  • Fast glycolytic muscle fibers produce lactate while generating rapid ATP from sugar (not necessarily due to oxygen shortage).
  • Lactate is exported through transporters:
    • MCT4 (exporter) from producing muscle fibers
  • Lactate is taken up by other tissues through:
    • MCT1 (importer) in endurance muscle fibers, liver, brain, and the heart
  • Those tissues then burn lactate as a preferred fuel.
  • The heart is emphasized as a major consumer of lactate, especially when blood lactate rises.

5) Lactate dynamics as a core fitness metric

  • Elite athletes are described as showing similar or greater lactate production, but with better clearance and utilization (higher “turnover”).
  • Training is portrayed as building:
    • mitochondria (fuel-burning capacity)
    • lactate transport capability (e.g., MCT1/related transport)
  • The video reframes “threshold” as a balance point:
    • LT1: lactate begins rising above baseline (transition where clearance keeps up until a “gentle lift”)
    • LT2 / MLSS: maximal intensity where lactate production ≈ clearance; above this, lactate rises progressively and you can’t sustain the effort indefinitely.

6) Lactate as a signaling molecule (“lactormone” concept)

  • Lactate is described as having messenger/signaling roles, not only serving as fuel.
  • It may influence training adaptations, such as:
    • increased mitochondria
    • increased capillaries / blood vessel growth
    • possible roles in fat metabolism regulation
    • possible brain adaptations
  • The human causal evidence is acknowledged as thinner than early cell culture/animal findings.

Method / intervention discussed: Lactate supplementation via gels

  • Context: A Tour de France team allegedly bought a production run of a new energy gel containing lactate.
  • Proposed idea (“carb sparing”):
    • Drink/supplement lactate during easier portions
    • Use lactate as an alternative fuel to preserve carbohydrate for decisive moments
  • Product mentioned:
    • Exo Lactic gel (by a sports scientist working with top teams)
    • Claimed formulation: ~40 g carbohydrate + ~5 g lactate per gel
  • Prior attempt mentioned:
    • A polylactate drink tested by UAE in 2002 reportedly failed due to poor taste and low practical usable lactate delivery.

Evidence status claimed

  • Current performance benefit is presented as unproven:
    • “the performance case is theory + optimism”
    • lacks robust controlled trials showing repeatable speed improvements
  • The gel’s use is described as occurring in WorldTour settings, implying interest in small marginal gains.
  • Comparison made to ketone drinks:
    • hype preceded strong performance evidence
    • ketones had more consistent effects on recovery than on during-ride performance

Researchers / sources featured (named)

  • A.V. Hill (Nobel Prize, 1922)
  • Otto Meyerhof (Nobel Prize, 1922)
  • Margaria
  • Edwards
  • Dill (authors of the 1933 findings mentioned)
  • George Brooks (lactate shuttle; decades of work from the 1980s onward)
  • Iñigo San Millán (sports scientist; linked to Exo Lactic gel development)
  • UAE Team / Pogacar’s UAE team (team referenced; individual Pogacar mentioned, but not as a researcher)

Original video