Sports physiologists at an Olympic training center wanted to monitor athletes to determine at what point their muscles were functioning anaerobically. They could do this by checking for the buildup of which molecule?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Lactate (or lactic acid) accumulates in the muscles when they are functioning anaerobically, i.e., without enough oxygen to support the aerobic metabolism, leading to the anaerobic glycolysis pathway where glucose is converted into energy with lactate as a byproduct.

Sports Physiologists at an Olympic Training Center Wanted to Monitor