09/10/2026
Let’s talk dead frog legs 🐸😂 Education time!
If you’ve ever blamed “lactic acid” for your legs giving out on a climb, you’re repeating a 100-year-old mistake.
In the 1920s, a scientist shocked a dead frog’s leg and watched lactate rise as it fatigued. He concluded lactate was the problem. That idea stuck around for decades, backed up by more theories about an “anaerobic system” that supposedly switches on when you run out of oxygen.
There’s just one issue: it’s not true.
Lactate isn’t a waste product your body is trying to get rid of. It’s fuel. Your body produces and reuses it constantly, even at rest. The actual burn you feel comes from a buildup of hydrogen ions, and lactate is part of what helps buffer that, not cause it.
Once you understand what’s actually happening, your “lactate threshold” is way less mysterious: it’s simply the point where lactate production outpaces your body’s ability to clear it. Train that clearance system, and the burn shows up later and hits softer.
Swipe through for the full breakdown 👉 the myth, the science, and what it actually means for your training.
Got questions about your own threshold training? Drop them below or send a DM.
