Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan

About: Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Skeletal muscle & Glycogen. The organization has 160 authors who have published 105 publications receiving 9318 citations.

Diet, Muscle Glycogen and Physical Performance

Abstract: The muscle glycogen content of the quadriceps femoris muscle was determined in 9 healthy subjects with the aid of the needle biopsy technique. The glycogen content could be varied in the individual subjects by instituting different diets after exhaustion of the glycogen store by hard exercise. Thus, the glycogen content after a fat ± protein (P) and a carbohydrate-rich (C) diet varied maximally from 0.6 g/100g muscle to 4.7 g. In all subjects, the glycogen content after the C diet was higher than the normal range for muscle glycogen, determined after the mixed (M) diet. After each diet period, the subjects worked on a bicycle ergometer at a work load corresponding to 75 per cent of their maximal O2 uptake, to complete exhaustion. The average work time was 59, 126 and 189 min after diets P, M and C, and a good correlation was noted between work time and the initial muscle glycogen content. The total carbohydrate utilization during the work periods (54–798 g) was well correlated to the decrease in glycogen content. It is therefore concluded that the glycogen content of the working muscle is a determinant for the capacity to perform long-term heavy exercise. Moreover, it has been shown that the glycogen content and, consequently, the long-term work capacity can be appreciably varied by instituting different diets after glycogen depletion.

Muscle glycogen during prolonged severe exercise.

Abstract: 10 well trained and 10 untrained subjects worked to complete exhaustion on a bicycle ergometer with work loads averaging 77 (76–87) per cent of their individual maximal aerobic power. Determinations of glycogen used by working muscles (biopsy of lateral portion of the quadriceps femoris muscles) and of combusted carbohydrate (Vo2 and RQ) were performed at certain intervals from the start of work to exhaustion. At a combustion rate of about 3 g carbohydrate per minute (RQ around 0.9 or higher) and at average values for glycogen in resting muscle of 1.6 (1.1–2.5)g/100 wet muscle, the effective work time was around 85 min for the untrained and 90 min for the trained subjects. At the end of the exhaustive exercise the glycogen content averaged 0.06 g in the untrained and 0.12 g/100 g wet muscle in the trained subjects. A close relationship between utilized glycogen and combusted carbohydrate was found, and it seems highly probable that at high relative workloads primarily the glycogen stores in the exercising muscles will limit the capacity for prolonged strenuous work.

The Nature of the Training Response; Peripheral and Central Adaptations to One-Legged Exercise

Abstract: 13 male subjects were studied and placed in 3 groups. Each group exercised one leg with sprint (S), or endurance (E) training and the other leg oppositely or not at all (NT). Oxygen uptake (Vo2), heart rate and blood lactate were measured for each leg separately and for both legs together during submaximal and maximal bicycle work before and after 4 weeks of training with 4–5 sessions per week. Muscle samples were obtained from the quadriceps muscle and assayed for succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity, and stained for myofibrillar AT Pase. In addition eight of the subjects performed after the training two-legged exercise at 70% Vo2 max for one hour. The measurements included muscle glycogen and lactate concentrations of the two legs as well as the blood flow and the a-v difference for O2, glucose and lactate. The improvement in Vo2 max, the lowered heart rate and blood lactate response at submaximal work levels were only found when exercising with a trained leg (E or S). Part of the variables studied were markedly more changed with E as compared with S-training. Although muscle fibre composition did not change a pronounced muscle adaptation took place with the training with enhancement of the SDH activity of the S and E legs while the NT-leg did not change. Blood flow and oxygen uptake were similar in NT and S–E legs while femoral vein oxygen content was slightly lower in the trained as compared to the NT-leg. Glycogen utilization was lowest in the trained leg with similar glucose uptake in all legs regardless of training status. Moreover, lactate was only continuously released from the NT-leg. It is concluded that training induces marked local adaptations which not only affects the metabolic response to exercise but also are of importance eliciting an improved cardiovascular function.

The Influence of Physical Training and Other Factors on the Subjective Rating of Perceived Exertion

Abstract: The relationship between the subjective rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and different physiological variables during work were investigated in 19 healthy subjects under the following conditions: 1) after heart rate (HR) has been experimentally changed during work by the use of autonomic nervous system blocking agents. 2) during different types of physical work and 3) before and after an 8 week period of physical training, respectively. In most work situations, HR mirrors the physical strain subjectively experienced. However, this good correlation between HR and RPE was altered during the experiments with blocking agents. Therefore, a tachycardia as such is not the primary factor in the setting of HR during exercise — RPE was higher for a given level of oxygen uptake during arm work than during leg work, as well as during bicycling compared to running or swimming. A better correlation was found in these experiments between RPE and blood lactate concentration. After training, and in parallel to the decrease in HR at submaximal work loads, RPE was lower for a given level of oxygen uptake, but was the same when related to the “relative” (per cent of maximum) oxygen uptake.

Fatiguability and fibre composition of human skeletal muscle.

Abstract: The fatiguability of the quadriceps muscle was investigated in 10 male subjects (25-40 yrs), with inter-individual differences in fibre composition of their vastus lateralis muscles (range 25-65% fast twitch, FT, muscle fibres). Fatiguability was assessed as the decline in maximal force (in % of initial values) with 50 repeated isokinetic knee-extensions at fast angular velocity (3.14 rad/s). Each contraction lasted 0.5 s and the rest periods were about 0.7 s. Every subject was tested on two occasions and the standard deviation for a single determination of fatiguability was 1.4%. The decline in force after 50 contractions was on the average about 45%. The individual values varied, however, and a linear correlation was present between fatiguability and % FT fibres (r = 0.86, p less than 0.01). It was concluded that development of fatigue in human skeletal muscle performing repeated fast dynamic contractions with maximal effort was most marked in muscles with a high proportion FT fibres. This finding was in conformity with earlier results from animal skeletal muscle preparations.