Effects of Acute Exercise and Training on the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca(2+)Release and Uptake Rates in Highly Trained Endurance Athletes

Little is presently known about the effects of acute high-intensity exercise or training on release and uptake of Ca(2+)by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). The aims here were to characterize this regulation in highly trained athletes following (1) repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise and (2) a period of endurance training including high-intensity sessions. Eleven cross-country skiers (25 +/- 4 years, 65 +/- 4 mL O-2.kg(-1).min(-1)) performed four self-paced sprint time-trials (STT 1-4) lasting approximate to 4 min each (STT 1-4) and separated by 45 min of recovery; while 19 triathletes and road cyclists (25 +/- 4 years, 65 +/- 5 mL O-2.kg(-1).min(-1)) completed 4 weeks of endurance training in combination with three sessions of high-intensity interval cycling per week. Release (mu mol.g(-1)prot.min(-1)) and uptake [tau (s)] of Ca(2+)by SR vesicles isolated from m.triceps brachiiand m.vastus lateraliswere determined before and after STT 1 and 4 in the skiers and in m.vastus lateralisbefore and after the 4 weeks of training in the endurance athletes. The Ca(2+)release rate was reduced by 17-18% in both limbs already after STT 1 (arms: 2.52 +/- 0.74 to 2.08 +/- 0.60; legs: 2.41 +/- 0.45 to 1.98 +/- 0.51,P< 0.0001) and attenuated further following STT 4 (arms: 2.24 +/- 0.67 to 1.95 +/- 0.45; legs: 2.13 +/- 0.51 to 1.83 +/- 0.36,P< 0.0001). Also, there was a tendency toward an impairment in the SR Ca(2+)uptake from pre STT1 to post STT4 in both arms and legs (arms: from 22.0 +/- 3.7 s to 25.3 +/- 6.0 s; legs: from 22.5 +/- 4.7 s to 25.5 +/- 7.7 s,P= 0.05). Endurance training combined with high-intensity exercise increased the Ca(2+)release rate by 9% (1.76 +/- 0.38 to 1.91 +/- 0.44,P= 0.009), without altering the Ca(2+)uptake (29.6 +/- 7.0 to 29.1 +/- 8.7 s;P= 0.98). In conclusion, the Ca(2+)release and uptake rates by SR in exercising limbs of highly trained athletes declines gradually by repetitive bouts of high-intensity exercise. We also demonstrate, for the first time, that the SR Ca(2+)release rate can be enhanced by a specific program of training in highly trained athletes, which may have important implications for performance parameters

The Muscle Fiber Profiles, Mitochondrial Content, and Enzyme Activities of the Exceptionally Well-Trained Arm and Leg Muscles of Elite Cross-Country Skiers

As one of the most physically demanding sports in the Olympic Games, cross-country skiing poses considerable challenges with respect to both force generation and endurance during the combined upper-and lower-body effort of varying intensity and duration. The isoforms of myosin in skeletal muscle have long been considered not only to define the contractile properties, but also to determine metabolic capacities. The current investigation was designed to explore the relationship between these isoforms and metabolic profiles in the arms (triceps brachii) and legs (vastus lateralis) as well as the range of training responses in the muscle fibers of elite cross-country skiers with equally and exceptionally well-trained upper and lower bodies. The proportion of myosin heavy chain (MHC)-1 was higher in the leg (58 +/- 2% [34-69%]) than arm (40 +/- 3% [24-57%]), although the mitochondrial volume percentages [8.6 +/- 1.6 (leg) and 9.0 +/- 2.0 (arm)], and average number of capillaries per fiber [5.8 +/- 0.8 (leg) and 6.3 +/- 0.3 (arm)] were the same. In these comparable highly trained leg and arm muscles, the maximal citrate synthase (CS) activity was the same. Still, 3-hydroxy-acyl-CoA-dehydrogenase (HAD) capacity was 52% higher (P < 0.05) in the leg compared to arm muscles, suggesting a relatively higher capacity for lipid oxidation in leg muscle, which cannot be explained by the different fiber type distributions. For both limbs combined, HAD activity was correlated with the content of MHC-1 (r(2) = 0.32, P = 0.011), whereas CS activity was not. Thus, in these highly trained cross-country skiers capillarization of and mitochondrial volume in type 2 fiber can be at least as high as in type 1 fibers, indicating a divergence between fiber type pattern and aerobic metabolic capacity. The considerable variability in oxidative metabolism with similar MHC profiles provides a new perspective on exercise training. Furthermore, the clear differences between equally well-trained arm and leg muscles regarding HAD activity cannot be explained by training status or MHC distribution, thereby indicating an intrinsic metabolic difference between the upper and lower body. Moreover, trained type 1 and type 2A muscle fibers exhibited similar aerobic capacity regardless of whether they were located in an arm or leg muscle

Contractile Properties of MHC I and II Fibers From Highly Trained Arm and Leg Muscles of Cross-Country Skiers

Introduction Little is known about potential differences in contractile properties of muscle fibers of the same type in arms and legs. Accordingly, the present study was designed to compare the force-generating capacity and Ca2+ sensitivity of fibers from arm and leg muscles of highly trained cross-country skiers. Method Single muscle fibers of m. vastus lateralis and m. triceps brachii of eight highly trained cross-country skiers were analyzed with respect to maximal Ca2+-activated force, specific force and Ca2+ sensitivity. Result The maximal Ca2+-activated force was greater for myosin heavy chain (MHC) II than MHC I fibers in both the arm (+62%, P < 0.001) and leg muscle (+77%, P < 0.001), with no differences between limbs for each MHC isoform. In addition, the specific force of MHC II fibers was higher than that of MHC I fibers in both arms (+41%, P = 0.002) and legs (+95%, P < 0.001). The specific force of MHC II fibers was the same in both limbs, whereas MHC I fibers from the m. triceps brachii were, on average, 39% stronger than fibers of the same type from the m. vastus lateralis (P = 0.003). pCa(50) was not different between MHC I and II fibers in neither arms nor legs, but the MHC I fibers of m. triceps brachii demonstrated higher Ca2+ sensitivity than fibers of the same type from m. vastus lateralis (P = 0.007). Conclusion Comparison of muscles in limbs equally well trained revealed that MHC I fibers in the arm muscle exhibited a higher specific force-generating capacity and greater Ca2+ sensitivity than the same type of fiber in the leg, with no such difference in the case of MHC II fibers. These distinct differences in the properties of fibers of the same type in equally well-trained muscles open new perspectives in muscle physiology