Latic Acid

[Gr8sk837 0]

Ive been skating all my life ever since I was 3 (Im 16 now). Recently I found out the cause of pain that was happening on my hamstrings and why the were to tight after going balls out for 30 seconds. (Latic Acid). But when i fixed my problem  my thighs haven been starting to get tighter and more tired which would never happen to me. Im not sure what the problem is, my team works out 2 times a week and personally I go an extra 2-3 times by myself. Does anyone know a way to get rid of this feeling and how so?

[YesLanges 127]

How did you determine that your problem is lactic acid?

What did you do that you think fixed the problem?

Lactic acid doesn't cause tightness; it causes that burning feeling in the muscle, and the muscles that are going to be most affected by lactic acid from skating are your quads (front of your thighs), not your hamstrings. Tightness and cramping is more likely caused by dehydration and by muscle imbalance between antagonistic muscles, like when your hamstrings are less developed than your quads, which is often the case with skaters. If it's dehydration, don't wait until you feel thirsty to start drinking and maybe take a potasium pill earlier in the day. If it's from a muscle imbalance, you need to take a longer-term approach and work your hamstrings in the gym on a regular basis to reduce the imbalance between them and your quads.

 

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

Amp Human PR lotion, Performance & Recovery Bicarb Sports Lotion, Bottle (300g) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082P4SXRZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fab_cdOFFbE5HBGXS
 

using this as a supplement could help as well

[jlt73 160]

I started drinking a ton more water, incorporating stretching before and after skating (also when I wake up and before I got to bed), and use of a massage gun (hypervolt, theragun, etc) before and after skating.  My legs have never felt better

[caveman27 208]

On 10/5/2020 at 11:29 PM, Gr8sk837 said:

Ive been skating all my life ever since I was 3 (Im 16 now). Recently I found out the cause of pain that was happening on my hamstrings and why the were to tight after going balls out for 30 seconds. (Latic Acid). But when i fixed my problem  my thighs haven been starting to get tighter and more tired which would never happen to me. Im not sure what the problem is, my team works out 2 times a week and personally I go an extra 2-3 times by myself. Does anyone know a way to get rid of this feeling and how so?

There's multiple things this could be.

Some guys have already mentioned hydration. If you aren't drinking enough water before and during practices, that will give you problems you have mentioned. 

You may need to stretch out before and after practices, and also just at home when you feel tightness. 

 

[BenBreeg 493]

On 10/5/2020 at 11:29 PM, Gr8sk837 said:

Ive been skating all my life ever since I was 3 (Im 16 now). Recently I found out the cause of pain that was happening on my hamstrings and why the were to tight after going balls out for 30 seconds. (Latic Acid). But when i fixed my problem  my thighs haven been starting to get tighter and more tired which would never happen to me. Im not sure what the problem is, my team works out 2 times a week and personally I go an extra 2-3 times by myself. Does anyone know a way to get rid of this feeling and how so?

Lots of interconnected pieces.  You said you found out the cause of your hamstring pain, what and how did you determine what it was?  Skating isn't a real balanced activity and can affect muscle groups in various ways.  There can be a causal chain and finding the root cause of something can be a process.  Definitely starting with the basics mentioned in this thread would be good, strength, flexibility, and mobility.  You can focus on the areas you are having trouble with but should it should be a whole-body process.  Foam rollers and lacrosse or tennis ball rolling are great rehab/prehab activities.  It can be tear-inducing but worth it.

Also, you said you are working out.  What are you doing?  What does your week look like between practices, games, and additional workouts?

Lots to consider.

16?  Wait until your are in your 40s or 50s, stuff hurts and the only reason is you are in your 40s or 50s!!!

 

[salibandy 21]

Sport Science grad/DPT here. From your subjective assessment, it could be many things.

Firstly, lactate (not lactic acid, which technically doesn't exist) is not the bad guy in energy metabolism, though other waste metabolites can reduce performance. What helped you determine that 'lactic acid' was causing tightness in your hamstrings?

Secondly, you speak of tightness. Can you describe it? Is it the tightness associated with cramping? Or a tightness like a muscle pump after working out? Or a tightness having done a max sprint without warming up? More information is needed for a better understanding of what's going on here.

Thirdly, you speak of your team working out twice a week, and you going an extra 2-3 more times. Are you talking about gym sessions or ice sessions? How many times were you going beforehand when you didn't have the tightness issue? The change in how you feel could potentially be a symptom of overtraining.

Fourthly, you're 16. This is an age where your body goes through a growth spurt. Muscles grow at a different rate to bone, and you could just be experiencing fatigue stemming from a changing body and power-to-weight ratio.

But, again, much more information is needed here. Can you describe more fully what you are experiencing?

[Gr8sk837 0]

The feeling I get in my quads is hard to explain but I will try the best I can. If I go balls out for 30 seconds skating the fast I can my quads start to get really tight mostly feeling like cramping. It feels like I just wanna give up and stop skating because it hurts so much. Thats what It feels like Im not sure what the problem is because I usually stretch a lot before games and practices. Hopefully this sorta clarifies what Im trying to say.

[salibandy 21]

Sounds pretty normal to me. Anyone sprinting for 30s would probably describe a similar feeling. 

Why it has potentially become more noticeable now is that your body (and muscles) is changing through puberty, transitioning from being more endurance capable to, in your case, more explosive. Now's probably a good time to get a good understanding of how resistance training can help your body adapt to the demands of the sport.

Once this growth spurt goes past and once your conditioning improves, and your body builds up the capacity to cope with the demands of the sport, you should notice this less.

[Gr8sk837 0]

Do you have examples of resistance training? Like any exercises 

[salibandy 21]

Resistance training as a topic is too vast to cover in one post, but basically you want to strengthen and develop the muscles and metabolic systems that contribute to the game. I suggest doing a Google or YouTube search for off-ice strength training for hockey and starting from there. Good luck!