Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Recruitment of fibre types and quadriceps muscle portions during repeated, intense knee-extensor exercise in humans

  • Exercise, Temperature Regulation
  • Published:
Pflügers Archiv Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To investigate recruitment of slow-twitch (ST) and fast-twitch (FT) muscle fibres, as well as the involvement of the various quadriceps femoris muscle portions during repeated, intense, one-legged knee-extensor exercise, 12 healthy male subjects performed two 3-min exercise bouts at ~110% maximum thigh O2 consumption (EX1 and EX2) separated by 6 min rest. Single-fibre metabolites were determined in successive muscle biopsies obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle (n=6) and intra-muscular temperatures were continuously measured at six quadriceps muscle sites (n=6). Creatine phosphate (CP) had decreased (P<0.05) by 27, 73 and 88% in ST fibres and 25, 71 and 89% in FT fibres after 15 and 180 s of EX1 and after 180 s of EX2, respectively. CP was below resting mean−1 SD in 15, 46, 84 and 100% of the ST fibres and 9, 48, 85 and 100% of the FT fibres at rest, after 15 and 180 s of EX1 and after 180 s of EX2, respectively. A significant muscle temperature increase (ΔTm) occurred within 2–4 s at all quadriceps muscle sites. ΔTm varied less than 10% between sites during EX1, but was 23% higher (P<0.05) in the vastus lateralis than in the rectus femoris muscle during EX2. ΔTm in the vastus lateralis was 101 and 109% of the mean quadriceps value during EX1 and EX2, respectively. We conclude that both fibre types and all quadriceps muscle portions are recruited at the onset of intense knee-extensor exercise, that essentially all quadriceps muscle fibres are activated during repeated intense exercise and that metabolic measurements in the vastus lateralis muscle provide a good indication of the whole-quadriceps muscle metabolism during repeated, intense, one-legged knee-extensor exercise.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Andersen P, Saltin B (1985) Maximal perfusion of skeletal muscle in man. J Physiol (Lond) 366:233–249

    Google Scholar 

  2. Andersen P, Adams RP, Sjøgaard G, Thorboe A, Saltin B (1985) Dynamic knee extension as a model for the study of an isolated exercising muscle in man. J Appl Physiol 59:1647–1653

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Bangsbo J, Graham T, Johansen L, Strange S, Christensen C, Saltin B (1992) Elevated muscle acidity and energy production during exhaustive exercise in humans. Am J Physiol 263:R891–R899

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Bangsbo J, Graham TE, Kiens B, Saltin B (1992) Elevated muscle glycogen and anaerobic energy production during exhaustive exercise in man. J Physiol (Lond) 451:205–227

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bangsbo J, Krustrup P, González-Alonso J, Saltin B (2000) Muscle oxygen kinetics at onset of intense dynamic exercise in humans. Am J Physiol 279:R899–R906

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Bangsbo J, Krustrup P, González-Alonso J, Saltin B (2001) ATP production and efficiency of human skeletal muscle during intense exercise: effect of previous exercise. Am J Physiol 280:E956–E964

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Barstow TJ, Jones AM, Nguyen PH, Casaburi R (1996) Influence of muscle fibre type and pedal frequency on oxygen uptake kinetics of heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol 81:1624–1650

    Google Scholar 

  8. Beltman JGM, Sargeant AJ, Van Mechelen W, de Haan A (2001) Changes in PCr/Cr ratio: a measure for human muscle fibre activation during short term maximal voluntary exercise (abstract). J Physiol (Lond) 533:P

    Google Scholar 

  9. Bergstrøm J (1962) Muscle electrolytes in man. Scand J Clin Lab Inv Suppl 68:1–101

    Google Scholar 

  10. Brooke MH, Kaiser KK (1970) Three myosine adenosine triphosphatase systems: the nature of their pH lability and sulfhydryl dependence. J Histochem Cytochem 18:670–672

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Casey A, Constantin-Teodusiu D, Howell S, Hultman E, Greenhaff P (1996) Metabolic response of ST and FT fibres during repeated bouts of maximal exercise in humans. Am J Physiol 271:E38–E43

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Coyle EF, Sidossis LS, Horowitz JF, Beltz JD (1992) Cycling efficiency is related to percentage of Type I muscle fibers. Med Sci Sports Exerc 24:782–788

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Crow MT, Kushmerick MJ (1982) Chemical energetics of slow- and fast-twitch muscles of the mouse. J Gen Physiol 79:147–166

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Essén B, Jansson E, Henriksson J, Taylor AW, Saltin B (1975) Metabolic characteristics of fibre types in human skeletal muscle. Acta Physiol Scand 95:53–165

    Google Scholar 

  15. Gaitanos GC, Williams C, Boobis LH, Brooks S (1993) Human muscle metabolism during intermittent maximal exercise. J Appl Physiol 75:712–719

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Gollnick PD, Piehl K, Saltin B (1974) Selective glycogen depletion pattern in human skeletal muscle fibres after exercise of varying intensity and at varying pedalling rates. J Physiol (Lond) 241:45–57

    Google Scholar 

  17. González-Alonso J, Quistorff B, Krustrup P, Bangsbo J, Saltin B (2000) Heat production in human skeletal muscle at the onset of intense dynamic exercise. J Physiol (Lond) 524:603–615

    Google Scholar 

  18. Greenhaff PL, Nevill ME, Söderlund K, Brodin K, Boobis LH, Williams C, Hultman E (1994) The metabolic responses of human type I and II muscle fibres during maximal treadmill sprinting. J Physiol (Lond) 478:149–155

    Google Scholar 

  19. Jones PRM, Pearson J (1969) Anthropometric determination of leg fat and muscle plus bone volumes in young male and female adults (abstract). J Physiol (Lond) 204:36P

    Google Scholar 

  20. Karatzaferi C, de Haan A, van Mechelen W, Sargeant AJ (2001) Metabolism changes in single human fibres during brief maximal exercise. Exp Physiol 86:411–415

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Karatzaferi C, de Haan A, Ferguson RA, van Mechelen W, Sargeant AJ (2001) Phosphocreatine and ATP content in human single muscle fibres before and after maximum dynamic exercise. Pflugers Arch 442:467–474

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Krustrup P, González-Alonso J, Quistorff B, Bangsbo J (2001) Muscle heat production and anaerobic energy production during repeated intense dynamic exercise in man. J Physiol (Lond) 536:947–956

    Google Scholar 

  23. Krustrup P, Ferguson RA, Kjaer M, Bangsbo J (2003) ATP and heat production in human skeletal muscle during dynamic exercise: higher efficiency of anaerobic than aerobic ATP resynthesis. J Physiol (Lond) 549:255–269

    Google Scholar 

  24. Krustrup P, Hellsten Y, Bangsbo J (2004) Intense interval training enhances human skeletal muscle oxygen uptake in the initial phase of exercise at high but not at low intensities. J Physiol DOI 10.1113/jphysiol.2004.062232

  25. Krustrup P, Söderlund K, Mohr M, Bangsbo J (2004) The slow component of oxygen uptake during intense sub-maximal exercise in man is associated with additional fibre recruitment. Pflugers Arch 447:855–866

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Laaksonen MS, Kalliokoski KK, Kyröläinen H, Kemppainen J, Teräs M, Sipilä H, Nuutila P, Knuuti J (2003) Skeletal muscle blood flow and flow heterogeneity during dynamic and isometric exercise in humans. Am J Physiol 284:H979–H986

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Lexell J, Downham D, Sjostrom M (1984) Distribution of different fibre types in human skeletal muscles. A statistical and computational study of the fibre type arrangement in m. vastus lateralis of young, healthy males. J Neurol Sci 65:353–365

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Lowry OH, Passonneau JV (1972) A flexible system of enzymatic analysis. Academic Press, New York

  29. Nevill ME, Boobis LH, Brooks S, Williams C (1989) Effect of training on muscle metabolism during treadmill sprinting. J Appl Physiol 67:2376–2382

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Pilegaard H, Domino K, Noland T, Juel C, Hellsten Y, Halestrap AP, Bangsbo J (1999) Effect of high-intensity exercise training on lactate/H+ transport capacity in human skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol 276:E255–E261

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Ray CA, Dudley GA (1998) Muscle use during dynamic knee-extension: implications for perfusion and metabolism. J Appl Physiol 85:1194–1197

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Richardson RS, Frank LR, Haseler LJ (1998) Dynamic knee-extensor exercise: functional MRI of muscular activity. Int J Sports Med 19:182–187

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Rådegran G, Blomstrand E, Saltin B (1999) Peak muscle perfusion and oxygen uptake in humans: importance of precise estimates of muscle mass. J Appl Physiol 87:2375–2380

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Sahlin K, Söderlund K, Tonkonogi M, Hirakoba K (1997) Phosphocreatine content in single fibres of human muscle after sustained submaximal exercise. Am J Physiol 273:C172–C178

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Söderlund K, Hultman E (1991) ATP and phosphocreatine changes in single human muscle fibres following intense electrical stimulation. Am J Physiol 261:E737–E741

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Spriet LL, Lindinger MI, McKelvie S, Heigenhauser GJF, Jones NL (1989) Muscle glycogenolysis and H+ concentration during maximal intermittent cycling. J Appl Physiol 66:8–13

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Vøllestad NK, Blom PC (1985) Effect of varying exercise intensity on glycogen depletion in human muscle fibres. Acta Physiol Scand 125:395–405

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Vøllestad NK, Tabata I, Medbø JI (1992) Glycogen breakdown in different human muscle fibre types during exhaustive exercise of short duration. Acta Physiol Scand 144:135–141

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Von Döbeln W (1956) Human standard and maximal metabolic rate in relation to fat-free body mass. Acta Physiol Scand 37 (Suppl. 126):1–79

  40. Weidman ER, Charles HC, Negro-Vilar R, Sullivan MJ, MacFall JR (1991) Muscle activity localization with 31P spectroscopy and calculated T2-weighted 1H images. Invest Radiol 26:309–316

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Wibom R, Söderlund K, Lundin A, Hultman E (1991) A luminometric method for determination of ATP and phosphocreatine in single human skeletal muscle fibres. J Biolumin Chemilumin 6:123–129

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Berit Sjöberg, Ingelise Kring and Merete Vannby for excellent technical assistance. The study was supported by a grant from The Danish National Research Foundation (504-14). In addition, support was obtained from Team Danmark and The Sports Research Council (Idraettens Forskningsråd).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre, Institute of Exercise and Sport Sciences, Department of Human Physiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 13, 2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

    Peter Krustrup, Magni Mohr & Jens Bangsbo

  2. University College of Physical Education and Sports, Stockholm, Sweden

    Karin Söderlund

  3. Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark

    José González-Alonso

Authors
  1. Peter Krustrup
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Karin Söderlund
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Magni Mohr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. José González-Alonso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jens Bangsbo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jens Bangsbo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Krustrup, P., Söderlund, K., Mohr, M. et al. Recruitment of fibre types and quadriceps muscle portions during repeated, intense knee-extensor exercise in humans. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 449, 56–65 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-004-1304-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-004-1304-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation