The concepts of lactate threshold and onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) and their relationship with VO2 max can be difficult to fully understand. Years ago lactate and lactic acid were thought of as waste products of anaerobic exercise. It was suggested that these waste products accumulated in muscles, forming crystals that caused muscle soreness. More recent research has found that lactate is not a waste product at all and is the most important producer of new glucose in the body.
Lactic acid and lactate are not the same. Lactic acid is C3H6O3. When lactic acid releases H+, the remaining part of the acid joins with Na+ or K+ to form a salt — lactate. Glycolysis produces lactic acid, which immediately dissociates and lactate is formed. For this reason, the terms are often used interchangeably.
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