Why did Rafa Nadal ride a bicycle after winning the Australian Open?

Without a doubt, the image on Sunday was that of the tennis player Reef Nadal excited on the ground after taking his 21º Grand Slam in Australia, but this has since been closely followed by the immediately following scene in which the athlete, instead of resting, showering or attending the media, without fail to a stationary bicycle and drive for half an hour.

For many, the attitude of the tennis player who left Twitter half speechless was a clear example of this. perseverance and dedication, But it goes much further. “What Rafa is doing after his exhausting match is something that has been done for a long time, especially in the world of football. cycling”, Explains Ismael Galancho, Diploma in Physical Education, sports dietitian, researcher and popularizer of sports issues. “When there is a big effort, it is advisable to carry it out active recovery by performing gentle exercise that does not exceed 30 minutes & rdquor ;, Galancho explains.

“In this way, the circulation in the bones that allow that tissue to continue to receive blood and good oxygenation. This will help remove the bugs sooner. waste by-products made by the body during exercise & rdquor;Galancho explains. Articles about this practice have been wrongly referred to as lactic acid and lactate, “but it is not the same thing, in fact, people do not produce lactic acid,” says the expert.

Lactate and lactic acid are not the same

In this case, it should be made clear that what the body is producing is lactate, and that it is not the culprit of the soreness, as has been said for some time. “Lactate does not cause fatigue, on the contrary, it allows you to continue training in an intense match. It is a source of energy & rdquor ;, Galancho explains.

Therefore, if you perform a moderate or light exercise for half an hour after the strenuous effort, it is possible to continue that tissue. blood received and oxygenation is better. This will enable the body to clean certain waste by-products that accumulate in the muscle beforehand, but not lactate as the main compound, which also, but e.g. hydrogen ions.

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“It must be made clear that lactate does not cause fatigue, it simply correlates with fatigue and therefore it is measured. Correlation is not causation. Fatigue is caused by other reasons, such as the accumulation of hydrogen ions or hydrogen ions & rdquor ;, the promoter adds.

In addition, as more blood reaches the muscle, “it will increase the onset of immune system cells to the muscle, which will carry out the inflammation necessary for proper muscle regeneration after the damage caused, which causes faster rebirth & rdquor ;.