Lacto-resistance training: a method to facilitate muscle hypertrophy in professional bodybuilders.

Purpose: Lactate has recently been the focus of research for its hypertrophic effects. The aim of this study was to introduce lacto-resistance exercise, emphasizing lactate production during exercise, and compare its hypertrophic effects with traditional resistance training in professional bodybuilders. Methods: Twenty-four participants performed traditional and lacto-resistance exercises in two separate sessions. Blood lactate concentrations and metabolic stress, estimated by plasma ammonia levels (PAL) and muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2), were compared between two exercises. The participants were then matched based on their rectus femoris muscle cross-sectional area (RFCSA) and allocated to the control (C, n = 8), traditional resistance training (TRT, n = 8), and lacto-resistance training (La-RT, n = 8) groups. The TRT and La-RT groups completed their own four-week resistance training program and RFCSA and one-repetition maximum (1RM) changes were compared between the groups. Results: The average changes in blood lactate concentrations (1.38-fold), SmO2 (0.86-fold), and PAL (1.16-fold) from rest to post-exercise were significantly higher in the lacto-resistance exercise compared to those obtained following traditional resistance exercise (all P < 0.05). After four weeks of resistance training, the values of 1RM squat (TRT: 1.14-fold, P < 0.05; La-RT: 1.2-fold induction, P < 0.05) and 1RM leg press (TRT: 1.11-fold, P < 0.05; La-RT: 1.20-fold, P < 0.05) were significantly higher than in the C group. Post-training values of RFCSA in La-RT group were significantly higher than in the C group (1.22-fold, P < 0.01), but not in the TRT group. Conclusion: Lacto-resistance training, therefore, is a useful hypertrophy-oriented exercise, even for professional athletes who hardly experience muscle mass gains with traditional resistance training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]