The Biochemical Effect of Physical Exercise

Your body is like a vivacious chemistry lab – a vast array of complex chemical reactions is constantly occurring inside it. From the functions of fatty tissue to the production of proteins, these biochemical processes are imperative for your body to work properly. Physical exercise strongly influences these processes – in a good way. It ignites excess fat, reinforces protein synthesis for muscle growth, improves your VO2 max and enhances lactate threshold.

  1. Fats

    • Your body stores excess calories from the foods you eat in the form of adipose tissue or body fat. Excess fat is stored throughout the body beneath your skin, which is known as subcutaneous fat. However, fat around the belly area is more dangerous because a majority of it is visceral fat, which is a type of fat that is stored around your vital organs. Visceral fat undermines your health by releasing harmful chemicals. Those chemicals pave the way for chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Fortunately, visceral fat is responsive to physical exercise – especially aerobic exercise and high intensity interval training. For example, a 2011 study published by the “American Journal of Physiology” showed that aerobic exercise is particularly effective at incinerating belly fat.

    Protein Synthesis

    • The amino acids that make up proteins play in essential role in your body’s biochemistry. Protein synthesis is crucial for the development of hair, bone and muscle tissue. Physical exercise influences protein synthesis by giving your body a stimulus to grow more muscle tissue. When your muscles fibers have been overloaded as a result of strenuous physical activity, your body adapts to the increasing stress by increasing muscle size. Resistance training is especially effective for increasing muscle strength and size. To maximize muscle strength, exercise at about 85 percent of your maximum capacity or perform three to eight repetitions.

    VO2 Max

    • VO2 Max or maximal oxygen consumption is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during physical activity. Although VO2 max is highly influenced by genetic factors, you can improve it through physical activity. Since cardio or aerobic exercise depends on oxygen, regular aerobic exercise improves VO2 max. To maximize VO2 max gains, intensify your aerobic workout by performing exercises such as interval training. For instance, A 2008 study published “Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise” showed that aerobic at higher intensities is more effective for improving VO max than lower intensities.

    Lactate Threshold

    • The accumulation of lactic acid in the blood stream is one of correlates of muscle fatigue from intense exercise. During intense physical exercise or anaerobic training, your body is not able to produce enough oxygen to break down carbohydrates into fuel for exercise. As such, the body breaks down stored carbohydrates or glycogen in a process known as anaerobic glycolysis. This process produces a byproduct known as lactic acid. Having a high lactate threshold means that your body is capable of removing lactate acid quickly and efficiently from your blood. Regular exercise improves your lactate threshold. Regular weight training, sprints, high intensity interval training or any exercise that require you to be near or at your VO2 max is effective for improving your lactate threshold.