Stanley, W. C., Gertz, E. W., Wisneski, J. A., Neese, R. A., Morris, D. L., & Brooks, G. A. (1986). Lactate extraction during net lactate release in legs of humans during exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 60, 1116-1120.

During exercise, working muscles extract a significant amount of lactate during net lactate release. Working muscles are also a significant source of lactate removal. Since not all fibers in a muscle are elicited to work excessively during exercise, and therefore do not produce lactate, one could hypothesize that those non-lactate-producing fibers are one site of lactate extraction. Other muscle groups that perform work during exercise but do not contribute markedly to power or movement production, extract more lactate than they produce.

Implication. Lactate produced in exercise is extracted by working and movement-supporting muscles.

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