Skeletal muscle cytochrome c and myoglobin, endurance, and frequency of training

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of various training frequencies on performance capacity, the mitochondrial marker cytochrome c, and myoglobin, which is responsible for storage and transport of O2, in the three types of skeletal muscle. Female rats were trained by treadmill running up to 120 min/day, either 2, 4, or 6 days/wk for 14 wk. As a result of training, exercise time to exhaustion was increased in proportion to the number of training sessions per week. Cytochrome c concentration increased (range 20-90%) as a linear function of the number of exercises per week in the fast-twitch red vastus lateralis (FTR), the slow-twitch soleus (STR), and the mixed plantaris muscles. However, the concentration of cytochrome c in fast-twitch white vastus lateralis (FTW) muscles increased to approximately the same extent (40-50%) in all training groups. The increases in myoglobin concentration (13-45%) with training were significantly related to frequency in FTR muscle but not in STR muscle. Myoglobin levels in FTW muscle remained unchanged, regardless of training group. These results provide evidence that the capacity to perform endurance exercise and the mitochondrial content of the red skeletal muscle types are directly affected by training frequency.