Neuromuscular adaptations in human muscle following low intensity resistance training with vascular occlusion

Low-intensity (~50% of a single repetition maximum—1 RM) resistance training combined with vascular occlusion results in increases in muscle strength and cross-sectional area [Takarada et al. (2002) Eur J Appl Physiol 86:308–331]. The mechanisms responsible for this hypertrophy and strength gain remain elusive and no study has assessed the contribution of neuromuscular adaptations to these strength gains. We examined the effect of low-intensity training (8 weeks of unilateral elbow flexion at 50% 1 RM) both with (OCC) and without vascular occlusion (CON) on neuromuscular changes in the elbow flexors of eight previously untrained men [19.5 (0.4) years]. Following training, maximal voluntary dynamic strength increased (P<0.05) in OCC (22%) and CON (23%); however, isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) strength increased in OCC only (8.3%, P<0.05). Motor unit activation, assessed by interpolated twitch, was high (~98%) in OCC and CON both pre- and post-training. Evoked resting twitch torque decreased 21% in OCC (P<0.05) but was not altered in CON. Training resulted in a reduction in the twitch:MVC ratio in OCC only (29%, P<0.01). Post-activation potentiation (PAP) significantly increased by 51% in OCC (P<0.05) and was not changed in CON. We conclude that low-intensity resistance training in combination with vascular occlusion produces an adequate stimulus for increasing muscle strength and causes changes in indices of neuromuscular function, such as depressed resting twitch torque and enhanced PAP.     

Influence of eccentric actions on skeletal muscle adaptations to resistance training

Three different training regimens were performed to study the influence of eccentric muscle actions on skeletal muscle adaptive responses to heavy resistance exercise. Middle-aged males performed the leg press and leg extension exercises two days each week. The resistance was selected to induce failure within six to twelve repetitions of each set. Group CON/ECC (n= 8) performed coupled concentric and eccentric actions while group CON (n= 8) used concentric actions only. They did four or five sets of each exercise. Group CON/CON (n= 10) performed twice as many sets with only concentric actions. Eight subjects did not train and served as controls. Tissue samples were obtained from m. vastus lateralis using the biopsy technique before and after 19 weeks of training, and after four weeks of detraining. Histochemical analyses were performed to assess fibre type composition, fibre area and capillarization. Training increased (P < 0.05) Type IIA and decreased (P < 0.05) Type IIB fibre percentage. Only group CON/ECC increased Type I area (14%, P < 0.05). Type II area increased (P < 0.05) 32 and 27%, respectively, in groups CON/ECC and CON/CON, but not in group CON. Mean fibre area increased (P < 0.05) 25 and 20% in groups CON/ECC and CON/CON, respectively. Capillaries per fibre increased (P < 0.05) equally for Type I and Type II fibres. Capillaries per fibre area for both fibre types, however, increased (P <0.05) only in groups CON and CON/CON. The changes in fibre type composition and capillary frequency were manifest after detraining. At this time only group CON/ECC showed mean fibre hypertrophy, while capillary density was elevated in groups CON/CON and CON. This study suggests that optimal muscle hypertrophy in response to resistance exercise is not attained unless eccentric muscle actions are performed. The data also show that heavy resistance exercise may produce muscle fibre transformation and capillary neoformation.     

Influence of eccentric actions on skeletal muscle adaptations to resistance training.

Three different training regimens were performed to study the influence of eccentric muscle actions on skeletal muscle adaptive responses to heavy resistance exercise. Middle-aged males performed the leg press and leg extension exercises two days each week. The resistance was selected to induce failure within six to twelve repetitions of each set. Group CON/ECC (n = 8) performed coupled concentric and eccentric actions while group CON (n = 8) used concentric actions only. They did four or five sets of each exercise. Group CON/CON (n = 10) performed twice as many sets with only concentric actions. Eight subjects did not train and served as controls. Tissue samples were obtained from m. vastus lateralis using the biopsy technique before and after 19 weeks of training, and after four weeks of detraining. Histochemical analyses were performed to assess fibre type composition, fibre area and capillarization. Training increased (P less than 0.05) Type IIA and decreased (P less than 0.05) Type IIB fibre percentage. Only group CON/ECC increased Type I area (14%, P less than 0.05). Type II area increased (P less than 0.05) 32 and 27%, respectively, in groups CON/ECC and CON/CON, but not in group CON. Mean fibre area increased (P less than 0.05) 25 and 20% in groups CON/ECC and CON/CON, respectively. Capillaries per fibre increased (P less than 0.05) equally for Type I and Type II fibres. Capillaries per fibre area for both fibre types, however, increased (P less than 0.05) only in groups CON and CON/CON. The changes in fibre type composition and capillary frequency were manifest after detraining.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Age and sex affect human muscle fibre adaptations to heavy-resistance strength training

This study assessed age and sex effects on muscle fibre adaptations to heavy-resistance strength training (ST). Twenty-two young men and women (20-30 years old) and 18 older men and women (65-75 years old) completed 9 weeks of heavy-resistance knee extension exercises with the dominant leg 3 days week(-1); the non-dominant leg served as a within-subject, untrained control. Bilateral vastus lateralis muscle biopsies were obtained before and after ST for analysis of type I, IIa and IIx muscle fibre cross-sectional area (CSA) and fibre type distribution. One-repetition maximum (1-RM) strength was also assessed before and after ST. ST resulted in increased CSA of type I, IIa and IIx muscle fibres in the trained leg of young men, type I and IIa fibres in young women, type IIa fibres in older men, and type IIx fibres in older women (all P<0.05). Analysis of fibre type distribution revealed a significant increase in the percentage of type I fibres (P<0.05) along with a decrease in type IIx fibres (P=0.054) after ST only in young women. There were no significant changes in muscle fibre CSA or fibre type distribution in the untrained leg for any group. All groups displayed significant increases in 1-RM (27-39%; all P<0.01). In summary, ST led to significant increases in 1-RM and type II fibre CSA in all groups; however, age and sex influence specific muscle fibre subtype responses to ST.     

Pulmonary adaptations to swim and inspiratory muscle training

Because the anomalous respiratory characteristics of competitive swimmers have been suggested to be due to inspiratory muscle work, the respiratory muscle and pulmonary function of 30 competitively trained swimmers was assessed at the beginning and end of an intensive 12-week swim training (ST) program. Swimmers (n = 10) combined ST with either inspiratory muscle training (IMT) set at 80% sustained maximal inspiratory pressure (SMIP) with progressively increased work-rest ratios until task failure for 3-days per week (ST + IMT) or ST with sham-IMT (ST + SHAM-IMT, n = 10), or acted as controls (ST only, ST, n = 10). Measures of respiratory and pulmonary function were assessed at the beginning and end of the 12 week study period. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in respiratory and pulmonary function between groups (ST + IMT, ST + SHAM-IMT and ST) at baseline and at the end of the 12 week study period. However, within all groups significant increases (P < 0.05) were observed in a number of respiratory and pulmonary function variables at the end of the 12 week study, such as maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure, inspiratory power output, forced vital capacity, forced expiratory and inspiratory volume in 1-s, total lung capacity and diffusion capacity of the lung. This study has demonstrated that there are no appreciable differences in terms of respiratory changes between elite swimmers undergoing a competitive ST program and those undergoing respiratory muscle training using the flow-resistive IMT device employed in the present study; as yet, the causal mechanisms involved are undefined.     

Pulmonary function, muscle strength and mortality in old age

Numerous reports have linked extremity muscle strength with mortality but the mechanism underlying this association is not known. We used data from 960 older persons without dementia participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project to test two sequential hypotheses: first, that extremity muscle strength is a surrogate for respiratory muscle strength, and second, that the association of respiratory muscle strength with mortality is mediated by pulmonary function. In a series of proportional hazards models, we first demonstrated that the association of extremity muscle strength with mortality was no longer significant after including a term for respiratory muscle strength, controlling for age, sex, education, and body mass index. Next, the association of respiratory muscle strength with mortality was attenuated by more than 50% and no longer significant after including a term for pulmonary function. The findings were unchanged after controlling for cognitive function, parkinsonian signs, physical frailty, balance, physical activity, possible COPD, use of pulmonary medications, vascular risk factors including smoking, chronic vascular diseases, musculoskeletal joint pain, and history of falls. Overall, these findings suggest that pulmonary function may partially account for the association of muscle strength and mortality.     

Strength and power changes of the human plantar flexors and knee extensors in response to resistance training in old age

AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess and compare the improvements of muscle strength and power induced by a 16-week resistive programme in a population of 16 older men aged 65-81 years. METHODS: Training was performed three times per week at an intensity of 80% of one repetition maximum (1RM) and consisted of both calf raise and leg press exercises. Before-, during- and after-training, maximum isometric and isokinetic torques, maximum power, 1RM, muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and electromyographic activity (EMG) of the plantar flexors (PF) and knee extensors (KE) were examined. RESULTS: For the KE and PF, respectively, training resulted in a 29.9 +/- 4.4% (mean +/- SE) and 21.6 +/- 5.4% increase in 1RM (P < 0.001-0.01), a 19.4 +/- 4.3 and 12.4 +/- 4.7% (P < 0.001-0.05) increase in maximum isometric torque, and a 24.1 +/- 6.3 and 33.1 +/- 10.9% (P < 0.05) increase in maximum muscle power, calculated from torque-angular velocity curves. The large increase in torque and power was partly accounted by a significant increase in the CSA of the PF (5.0 +/- 0.7%) and KE (7.4 +/- 0.7%), while no significant changes in integrated EMG activity of vastus lateralis and soleus muscles, and in extrapolated maximum shortening velocity were found. After training, a significant increase in torque/CSA (10.3 +/- 4%, P < 0.05) was found for the KE but not for the PF. CONCLUSION: Hence, hypertrophy cannot alone justify the increase in torque, and other factors, such as an increase in individual fibre-specific tension (in the case of KE), a decrease in antagonist muscles' coactivation, an improved co-ordination and an increased neural drive of the other heads of quadriceps may have contributed to the increments in strength. The significant increase in muscle power seems particularly noteworthy with respect to daily activities involving the displacement of the body over time, namely, the generation of muscle power.     

Changes in muscle and joint elasticity following long-term strength training in old age

The current investigation was designed (1) to examine the effect of a 48-week strength training on musculotendinous (MT) and musculoarticular (MA) stiffness characteristics in older men and women; and (2) to evaluate the influence of gender on stiffness behaviour in response to such training. The training was performed twice per week and mainly consisted of three series of 10 repetitions of calf-rise at 75% of the 3-repetition maximum. Two methods were used to perform stiffness measurements during plantar flexion: (1) the use of quick-release movements, allowing the calculation of MT stiffness; (2) the application of sinusoidal perturbations to the joint, allowing the calculation of MA stiffness. In each case, stiffness was linearly related to torque, leading to the calculation of a normalized stiffness index (SI) as the slope of this stiffness-torque relationship: SI_MT and SI_MA, respectively. Results showed a similar decrease in SI_MT among older men (−27%, P < 0.05) and women (−29%, P < 0.05) following training. A decrease in SI_MA was only observed among women (−11%, P < 0.05). The results suggest that (1) MT stiffness decreases following training in older individuals, counterbalancing the effect of ageing; and (2) older men and women respond differently to the same resistance-training stimulus in terms of MA stiffness. Gender-related differences in MA stiffness response may originate from passive MA elastic structures. This work was part of the Better Ageing Program and was supported by grants from the European Commission (Framework Program V, QLRT-2001-00323).     

Metabolic adaptations in skeletal muscle,adipose tissue,and whole-body oxidative capacity in response to resistance training

Purpose

The effects of resistance training on mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative capacity in skeletal muscle are not fully characterized, and even less is known about alterations in adipose tissue. We aimed to investigate adaptations in oxidative metabolism in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue after 8 weeks of heavy resistance training in apparently healthy young men.

Methods

Expression of genes linked to oxidative metabolism in the skeletal muscle and adipose tissue was assessed before and after the training program. Body composition, peak oxygen uptake (VO_{2 peak}), fat oxidation, activity of mitochondrial enzyme in muscle, and serum adiponectin levels were also determined before and after resistance training.

Results

In muscle, the expression of the genes AdipoR1 and COX4 increased after resistance training (9 and 13 %, respectively), whereas the expression levels of the genes PGC-1α, SIRT1, TFAM, CPT1b, and FNDC5 did not change. In adipose tissue, the expression of the genes SIRT1 and CPT1b decreased after training (20 and 23 %, respectively). There was an increase in lean mass (from 59.7 ± 6.1 to 61.9 ± 6.2 kg), VO_{2 peak} (from 49.7 ± 5.5 to 56.3 ± 5.0 ml/kg/min), and fat oxidation (from 6.8 ± 2.1 to 9.1 ± 2.7 mg/kg fat-free mass/min) after training, whereas serum adiponectin levels decreased significantly and enzyme activity of citrate synthase and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase did not change.

Conclusion

Despite significant increases in VO_{2 peak}, fat oxidation, and lean mass following resistance training, the total effect on gene expression and enzyme activity linked to oxidative metabolism was moderate.     

Enzyme adaptations of human skeletal muscle during bicycle short-sprint training and detraining

The effect of sprint training and detraining on supramaximal performances was studied in relation to muscle enzyme adaptations in eight students trained four times a week for 9 weeks on a cycle ergometer. The subjects were tested for peak oxygen uptake (V˙O_{2 peak}), maximal aerobic power (MAP) and maximal short-term power output (W˙_max) before and after training and after 7 weeks of detraining. During these periods, biopsies were taken from vastus lateralis muscle for the determination of creatine kinase (CK), adenylate kinase (AK), glycogen phosphorylase (PHOS), hexokinase (HK), phosphofructokinase (PFK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and its isozymes, 3-hydroxy-acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HAD) and citrate synthase (CS) activities. Training induced large improvements in W˙_max (28%) with slight increases (3%) in V˙O_{2 peak}} (P < 0.10). This was associated with a greater glycolytic potential as shown by higher activities for PHOS (9%), PFK (17%) and LDH (31%) after training, without changes in CK and oxidative markers (CS and HAD). Detraining induced significant decreases in V˙O_{2 peak} (4%), MAP (5%) and oxidative markers (10–16%), while W˙_max and the anaerobic potential were maintained at a high level. This suggests a high level in supramaximal power output as a result of a muscle glycogenolytic and glycolytic adaptation. A long interruption in training has negligible effects on short-sprint ability and muscle anaerobic potential. On the other hand, a persistent training stimulus is required to maintain high aerobic capacity and muscle oxidative potential. This may contribute to a rapid return to competitive fitness for sprinters and power athletes.     

N-acetyl-4-aminophenol and musculoskeletal adaptations to resistance exercise training

N-acetyl-4-aminophenol (ACET) may impair musculoskeletal adaptations to progressive resistance exercise training (PRT) by inhibiting exercise-induced muscle protein synthesis and bone formation. To test the hypothesis that ACET would diminish training-induced increases in fat-free mass (FFM) and osteogenesis, untrained men (n = 26) aged ≥50 years participated in 16 weeks of high-intensity PRT and bone-loading exercises and were randomly assigned to take ACET (1,000 mg/day) or placebo (PLAC) 2 h before each exercise session. Total body FFM was measured by DXA at baseline and week 16. Serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and C-terminal crosslinks of type-I collagen (CTX) were measured at baseline and week 16. Vastus lateralis muscle biopsies were performed at baseline and weeks 3 and 16 for prostanoid, anabolic, and catabolic gene expression by RT-PCR. In exercise-compliant men (ACET, n = 10; PLAC, n = 7), the increase in FFM was not different between groups (p = 0.91). The changes in serum BAP and CTX were not different between groups (p > 0.7). There were no significant changes in any of the target genes at week 3. After 16 weeks of PRT, the mRNA expressions of the anabolic marker p70S6K (p = 0.003) and catabolic marker muscle-atrophy F-box (MAFbx) (p = 0.03) were significantly reduced as compared to baseline in ACET. The mRNA expression of the prostanoids were unchanged (all p ≥ 0.40) in both groups. The administration of ACET (1,000 mg) prior to each exercise session did not impair PRT-induced increases in FFM or significantly alter bone formation markers in middle aged and older men.     

Plasticity of human skeletal muscle: gene expression to in vivo function

Human skeletal muscle is a highly heterogeneous tissue, able to adapt to the different challenges that may be placed upon it. When overloaded, a muscle adapts by increasing its size and strength through satellite-cell-mediated mechanisms, whereby protein synthesis is increased and new nuclei are added to maintain the myonuclear domain. This process is regulated by an array of mechanical, hormonal and nutritional signals. Growth factors, such as insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and testosterone, are potent anabolic agents, whilst myostatin acts as a negative regulator of muscle mass. Insulin-like growth factor I is unique in being able to stimulate both the proliferation and the differentiation of satellite cells and works as part of an important local repair and adaptive mechanism. Speed of movement, as characterized by maximal velocity of shortening (V(max)), is regulated primarily by the isoform of myosin heavy chain (MHC) contained within a muscle fibre. Human fibres can express three MHCs: MHC-I, -IIa and -IIx, in order of increasing V(max) and maximal power output. Training studies suggest that there is a subtle interplay between the MHC-IIa and -IIx isoforms, with the latter being downregulated by activity and upregulated by inactivity. However, switching between the two main isoforms appears to require significant challenges to a muscle. Upregulation of fast gene programs is caused by prolonged disuse, whilst upregulation of slow gene programs appears to require significant and prolonged activity. The potential mechanisms by which alterations in muscle composition are mediated are discussed. The implications in terms of contractile function of altering muscle phenotype are discussed from the single fibre to the whole muscle level.     

Skeletal muscle adaptations to prolonged training, overtraining and detraining in horses

 Thirteen standard-bred horses were trained intensively for 34 weeks and detrained for 6 weeks to study skeletal muscle adaptations to prolonged training, overtraining and detraining. Training included endurance (phase 1, 7 weeks), high-intensity (phase 2, 9 weeks) and overload training (OLT) (phase 3, 18 weeks). During phase 3, horses were divided into two groups, OLT and control (C), with OLT horses performing greater intensities and durations of exercise than C horses. Overtraining was evident in OLT horses after week 31 and was defined as a significant reduction in treadmill run time in response to a standardised exercise test (P<0.05). Relationships between peripheral (skeletal muscle) and whole body (maximum O₂ uptake, V.O_{2, max}, treadmill run time) adaptations to training were determined. Prolonged training resulted in significant adaptations in morphological characteristics of skeletal muscle but the adaptations were limited and largely completed by 16 weeks of training. Fibre area increased in all fibres while the number of capillaries per fibre increased and the diffusional index (area per capillary) decreased. Mitochondrial volume density continued to increase throughout 34 weeks of training and paralleled increases in V.O_2,max and treadmill run time. Significant correlations were noted between mitochondrial volume and V.O_2,max (R=0.71), run time and V.O_2,max (R=0.83) and mitochondrial volume and run time (R=0.57). We conclude that many of adaptive responses of muscle fibre area and capillarity occur in the initial training period but that markers of oxidative capacity of muscle indicate progressive increases in aerobic capacity with increases in training load. The lack of differences between C and OLT groups indicated that there may be an upper limit to the ability of training stimulus to evoke skeletal muscle adaptive responses. There was no effect of overtraining or detraining on any of the adaptive responses measured. Received: 19 August 1997 / Received after revision: 25 November 1997 / Accepted: 23 January 1998     

Enzymatic adaptations to suspension hypokinesia in skeletal muscle of young and old rats

Hindlimb hypokinesia was induced in young and old rats. After 3 weeks, the activities of five enzymes have been measured in soleus and medial gastrocnemius muscles. Soleus showed increased activity of hexokinase and decreased activity of phosphofructokinase, lactate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase in both groups. The activity of 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase was decreased in the old muscle. Medial gastrocnemius showed decreased activity of phosphofructokinase and lactate dehydrogenase in both groups. The activity of 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase was decreased in the old muscle whereas hexokinase increased its activity in the young one. It is concluded that suspension hypokinesia results in changes at the enzymatic level. These changes appear to be related to the age of the muscle and to its fibre composition.     

Muscle strength,power and adaptations to resistance training in older people

Muscle strength and, to a greater extent, power inexorably decline with ageing. Quantitative loss of muscle mass, referred to as sarcopenia, is the most important factor underlying this phenomenon. However, qualitative changes of muscle fibres and tendons, such as selective atrophy of fast-twitch fibres and reduced tendon stiffness, and neural changes, such as lower activation of the agonist muscles and higher coactivation of the antagonist muscles, also account for the age-related decline in muscle function. The selective atrophy of fast-twitch fibres has been ascribed to the progressive loss of motoneurons in the spinal cord with initial denervation of fast-twitch fibres, which is often accompanied by reinnervation of these fibres by axonal sprouting from adjacent slow-twitch motor units (MUs). In addition, single fibres of older muscles containing myosin heavy chains of both type I and II show lower tension and shortening velocity with respect to the fibres of young muscles. Changes in central activation capacity are still controversial. At the peripheral level, the rate of decline in parameters of the surface-electromyogram power spectrum and in the action-potential conduction velocity has been shown to be lower in older muscle. Therefore, the older muscle seems to be more resistant to isometric fatigue (fatigue-paradox), which can be ascribed to the selective atrophy of fast-twitch fibres, slowing in the contractile properties and lower MU firing rates. Finally, specific training programmes can dramatically improve the muscle strength, power and functional abilities of older individuals, which will be examined in the second part of this review.     

Neuromuscular adaptations to detraining following resistance training in previously untrained subjects

Resistance training has been shown to considerably increase strength and neural drive during maximal eccentric muscle contraction; however, less is known about the adaptive change induced by subsequent detraining. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of dynamic resistance training followed by detraining on changes in maximal eccentric and concentric isokinetic muscle strength, as well as to examine the corresponding adaptations in muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and EMG activity. Maximal concentric and eccentric isokinetic knee extensor moment of force was measured in 13 young sedentary males (age 23.5±3.2 years), before and after 3 months of heavy resistance training and again after 3 months of detraining. Following training, moment of force increased during slow eccentric (50%, P<0.001), fast eccentric (25%, P<0.01), slow concentric (19%, P<0.001) and fast concentric contraction (11%, P<0.05). Corresponding increases in EMG were observed during eccentric and slow concentric contraction. Significant correlations were observed between the training-induced changes in moment of force and EMG (R²=0.33–0.77). Muscle CSA (measured by MRI) increased by 10% (P<0.001). After 3 months of detraining maximal muscle strength and EMG remained preserved during eccentric contraction but not concentric contraction. The present findings suggest that heavy resistance training induces long-lasting strength gains and neural adaptations during maximal eccentric muscle contraction in previously untrained subjects.     

Differential adaptations to eccentric versus conventional resistance training in older humans

We hypothesized that training with eccentric contractions only (therefore using higher loads) would yield greater muscle structural and strength gains compared with conventional resistance training. Nine older adults (mean ± s.d. age, 74 ± 3 years) were assigned to a conventional (CONV) resistance training group performing both concentric and eccentric contractions and 10 (age, 67 ± 2 years) to an eccentric-only (ECC) resistance training group. Both groups trained three times per week for 14 weeks at 80% of the five-repetition maximum, specific to each training mode. Maximal knee extensor torque was assessed during isometric, concentric and eccentric contractions across a range of angular velocities (0–3.49 rad s⁻¹). Vastus lateralis muscle architecture (fascicle length, pennation angle and muscle thickness) was assessed in vivo at rest using ultrasonography. Training increased fascicle length in both groups, but the increase was significantly greater in the ECC (20% increase) than the CONV group (8% increase). Conversely, pennation angle significantly increased in the CONV (35% increase) but not in the ECC group (5% increase). Muscle thickness increased to a similar extent in both groups (∼12% increase). In the ECC group, eccentric knee extensor torque increased by 9–17% across velocities, but concentric torque was unchanged. Conversely, in the CONV group, concentric torque increased by 22–37% across velocities, but eccentric torque was unchanged. Instead, isometric torque increased to a similar extent in both groups (∼8% increase). Thus, the two training regimens resulted in differential adaptations in muscle architecture and strength. These results suggest that the stimulus for adding sarcomeres in-series and in-parallel may be different, which implies that different myogenic responses were induced by the two different training methods.     

Regulation of pH in human skeletal muscle: adaptations to physical activity

Regulation of pH in skeletal muscle is the sum of mechanisms involved in maintaining intracellular pH within the normal range. Aspects of pH regulation in human skeletal muscle have been studied with various techniques from analysis of membrane proteins, microdialysis, and the nuclear magnetic resonance technique to exercise experiments including blood sampling and muscle biopsies. The present review characterizes the cellular buffering system as well as the most important membrane transport systems involved (Na(+)/H(+) exchange, Na-bicarbonate co-transport and lactate/H(+) co-transport) and describes the contribution of each transport system in pH regulation at rest and during muscle activity. It is reported that the mechanisms involved in pH regulation can undergo adaptational changes in association with physical activity and that these changes are of functional importance.     

Physiological and muscle enzyme adaptations to two different intensities of swim training

Summary To test the hypothesis that a smaller quantity of high intensity (HI) as opposed to a larger quantity of moderate intensity (MI) swim training would result in adaptations more specific to the short performance times of swimming competitions, two groups of elite university swimmers were tested before and after 6.5 weeks of specific HI or MI intermittent swim training. In training, swimming times were faster and blood lactate concentrations were higher (10.2 vs. 7.5 mM) during HI compared to MI training. No significant differences were observed between the two groups for any of the variables measured, before or after training. However, significant increases with training were observed for the activities of hexokinase, phosphorylase, phosphofructokinase, succinate dehydrogenase, and 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase in the deltoid, but not the gastrocnemius muscles. Training resulted in significant increases in O₂ max during treatmill running, but not during tethered swimming. It is concluded that a larger quantity of MI swim training results in physiological adaptations that are similar to those obtained with a smaller quantity of HI training, at least over a relatively short training period.This study was supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada