Superior mitochondrial adaptations in human skeletal muscle after interval compared to continuous single-leg cycling matched for total work

Abstract

We employed counterweighted single-leg cycling as a unique model to investigate the role of exercise intensity in human skeletal muscle remodelling. Ten young active men performed unilateral graded-exercise tests to measure single-leg VO_2peak and peak power (W_peak). Each leg was randomly assigned to complete six sessions of high-intensity interval training (HIIT; 4 x [5 min at 65% W_peak and 2.5 min at 20% W_peak]) or moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT; 30 min at 50% W_peak), which were performed 10 min apart on each day, in an alternating order. The work performed per session was matched for MICT (143 ± 8.4 kJ) and HIIT (144 ± 8.5 kJ, P > 0.05). Post-training, citrate synthase (CS) maximal activity (10.2 ± 0.8 vs. 8.4 ± 0.9 mmol kg protein⁻¹ min⁻¹) and mass-specific (pmol O₂•[s•mg ww]⁻¹) oxidative phosphorylation capacities (complex I: 23.4 ± 3.2 vs. 17.1 ± 2.8; complexes I and II: 58.2 ± 7.5 vs. 42.2 ± 5.3) were greater in HIIT relative to MICT (interaction effects, P < 0.05); however, mitochondrial function (i.e., pmol O₂•[s•CS maximal activity]⁻¹) measured under various conditions was unaffected by training (P > 0.05). In whole muscle, the protein content of COXIV (24%), NDUFA9 (11%), and MFN2 (16%) increased similarly across groups (training effects, P < 0.05). COXIV and NDUFA9 were more abundant in type I than type II fibres (P < 0.05), but training did not increase the content of COXIV, NDUFA9, or MFN2 in either fibre type (P > 0.05). Single-leg VO_2peak was also unaffected by training (P > 0.05). In summary, single-leg cycling performed in an interval compared to a continuous manner elicited superior mitochondrial adaptations in human skeletal muscle despite equal total work.

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