Muscle fiber involvement during training of different intensities and durations

The extent of skeletal muscle fiber type involvement during exercise training was evaluated by assessing the increase in oxidative markers in the muscles of rats trained by various exercise programs. Rats were trained by running 6 days/wk at 1 mph for 12 wk by one of four protocols: group I-10% grade, 2 h/day; group II-10% grade, 4 h/day; group III-30% grade, 40 min/day; and group IV-30% grade, 2 h/day. No distinction was found between the different programs for the increase in cytochrome c content or citrate synthase (CS) activity of mixed muscle. The more intense programs utilizing a 30% grade induced an increase in CS activity in the fast-twitch white (FTW) fiber that was twice that found in the 10% grade groups. The fast-twitch red (FTR) fibers of the 2 h/day or more groups showed a similar increase (90-95%) in CS activity except for the group that ran for only 40 min/day. These data suggest that: 1) running durations of moderately intense exercise longer than 2 h/day do not further increase the oxidative capacity of the working muscles; and 2) more intense exercise builds on the performance of previously used FTR fibers and additionally involves the low oxidative FTW fibers.