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Leg muscle pH following sprint running
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|January 1, 1983
Summary
Sprint running significantly lowers leg muscle pH, with endurance-trained athletes showing a potentially smaller acid-base disturbance. This suggests differences in metabolic byproduct production during intense exercise.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Sports Science
- Muscle Metabolism
Background:
- Sprint running induces significant metabolic stress in leg muscles.
- Understanding acid-base balance disturbances is crucial for athletic performance.
- Leg muscle pH and lactic acid levels are key indicators of metabolic changes during exercise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare leg muscle pH disturbances between endurance-trained and non-endurance-trained men during treadmill sprint running (TSR).
- To investigate the relationship between muscle pH, blood pH, and lactic acid levels post-sprint exercise.
Main Methods:
- Muscle biopsies were taken from gastrocnemius and vastus lateralis before and after TSR to fatigue.
- Blood samples were analyzed for pH, PCO2, and lactic acid (HLa).
- Muscle specimens were analyzed for pH and HLa.
Main Results:
- Resting muscle pH was approximately 7.03-7.04.
- TSR reduced muscle pH to 6.86-6.88.
- A subsequent 400m run further decreased gastrocnemius pH to 6.63, with blood pH at 7.10 and HLa at 12.3 mM.
Conclusions:
- Sprint running causes substantial muscle acidification.
- Endurance-trained athletes may experience a lesser disturbance in acid-base balance.
- This difference might be attributed to reduced metabolite production in the muscles of endurance performers.