The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of muscle fiber type on the slow component of oxygen uptake (VO2) kinetics and electromyographic activity. Twelve sprinters and ten endurance runners participated in the study. They performed two separate treadmill running tests, the first test being conducted to determine the ventilatory threshold and maximal oxygen uptake. The second test consisted of a 6 min running bout at severe exercise intensity. A two-component exponential model was used to fit the VO2 response. Surface electromyographic signals were collected from Vastus lateralis, and processed by wavelet analysis. Sprinters and endurance runners, with their distinct anaerobic and aerobic fitness, showed a substantial difference in VO2 slow component during severe exercise. The sprinters showed a significantly higher VO2 slow component amplitude (A2: 381.0 ± 96.3 mL/min) and a significantly earlier slow component onset (TD2: 118.1 ± 16.1 s) than the endurance runners (A2: 142.2 ± 58.4 mL/min, TD2: 145.9 ± 19.9 s). The electromyographic mean power frequency of the tested muscles increased significantly during the slow component phase. There is a significant correlation between VO2 slow component and electromyographic mean power frequency for endurance runners (r = 0.50, p = 0.003). The combined use of VO2 kinetics modeling and electromyographic measurement provides evidence of the influence of muscle fiber type on slow component of oxygen uptake kinetics during severe intensity exercise.
WhippBJWassermanK. Oxygen-uptake kinetics for various intensities of constant-load work. J Appl Physiol1972; 33: 351–356.
6.
PooleDCWardSAGardnerGW, et al.Metabolic and respiratory profile of the upper limit for prolonged exercise in man. Ergonomics1988; 31: 1265–1279.
7.
BarstowTJMolePA. Linear and nonlinear characteristics of oxygen-uptake kinetics during heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol1991; 71: 2099–2106.
8.
JonesAMGrassiBChristensenPM, et al.Slow component of VO2 kinetics: mechanistic bases and practical applications. Med Sci Sports Exer2011; 43: 2046–2062.
9.
NiizekiKTakahashiTMiyamotoY. A model analysis of asymmetrical response of pulmonary VO2 during incremental and decremental ramp exercise. J Appl Physiol1995; 79: 1816–1827.
10.
CarterHJonesAMBarstowTJ, et al.Effect of endurance training on oxygen uptake kinetics during treadmill running. J Appl Physiol2000; 89: 1744–1752.
11.
SaundersMJEvansEMArngrimssonSA, et al.Muscle activation and the slow component rise in oxygen uptake during cycling. Med Sci Sports Exer2000; 32: 2040–2045.
12.
PooleDCBarstowTJGaesserGA, et al.Vo2 slow component - physiological and functional-significance. Med Sci Sports Exer1994; 26: 1354–1358.
13.
WillisWTJackmanMR. Mitochondrial-function during heavy exercise. Med Sci Sports Exer1994; 26: 1347–1353.
14.
CoyleEFSidossisLSHorowitzJF, et al.Cycling efficiency is related to the percentage of type-I muscle-fibers. Med Sci Sports Exer1992; 24: 782–788.
15.
PringleJSMDoustJHCarterH, et al.Oxygen uptake kinetics during moderate, heavy and severe intensity ‘submaximal’ exercise in humans: the influence of muscle fibre type and capillarisation. Eur J Appl Physiol2003; 89: 289–300.
16.
GarlandSWWangWWardSA. Indices of electromyographic activity and the “slow” component of oxygen uptake kinetics during high-intensity knee-extension exercise in humans. Eur J Appl Physiol2006; 97: 413–423.
17.
PringleJSMDoustJHCarterH, et al.Influence of muscle fibre type on oxygen uptake kinetics during submaximal cycle exercise in humans. J Physiol-Lond2002; 539: 55p–56p.
18.
BottinelliRReggianiC. Human skeletal muscle fibres: molecular and functional diversity. Prog Biophys Mol Biol2000; 73: 195–262.
19.
StirlingJRZakynthinakiMSBillatV. Modeling and analysis of the effect of training on (V) over dot O-2 kinetics and anaerobic capacity. Bull Math Biol2008; 70: 1348–1370.
20.
SkibaPFChidnokWVanhataloA, et al.Modeling the expenditure and reconstitution of work capacity above critical power. Med Sci Sports Exer2012; 44: 1526–1532.
21.
BlytheDAJKiralyFJ. Prediction and quantification of individual athletic performance of runners. Plos One2016, pp. 11–11.
22.
RossALeverittM. Long-term metabolic and skeletal muscle adaptations to short-sprint training: implications for sprint training and tapering. Sports Med2001; 31: 1063–1082.
23.
RossALeverittMRiekS. Neural influences on sprint running - training adaptations and acute responses. Sports Med2001; 31: 409–425.
24.
BeckTWHoushTJFryAC, et al.The influence of muscle fiber type composition on the patterns of responses for electromyographic and mechanomyographic amplitude and mean power frequency during a fatiguing submaximal isometric muscle action. Electromyogr Clin Neurophysiol2007; 47: 221–232.
25.
PerrySRHoushTJWeirJP, et al.Mean power frequency and amplitude of the mechanomyographic and electromyographic signals during incremental cycle ergometry. J Electromyogr Kinesiol2001; 11: 299–305.
26.
MilaniRVLavieCJMehraMR, et al.Understanding the basics of cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Mayo Clinic Proc2006; 81: 1603–1611.
27.
BeaverWLWassermanKWhippBJ. A new method for detecting anaerobic threshold by gas-exchange. J Appl Physiol1986; 60: 2020–2027.
28.
LansleyKEDiMennaFJBaileySJ, et al.A ‘New’ method to normalise exercise intensity. Int J Sports Med2011; 32: 535–541.
29.
MaSYRossiterHBBarstowTJ, et al.Clarifying the equation for modeling of (V) over doto(2) kinetics above the lactate threshold. J Appl Physiol2010; 109: 1283–1284.
30.
BorraniFCandauRMilletGY, et al.Is the VO2 slow component dependent on progressive recruitment of fast-twitch fibers in trained runners?J Appl Physiol2001; 90: 2212–2220.
31.
BeardenSEMoffattRJ. Vo(2) kinetics and the O-2 deficit in heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol2000; 88: 1407–1412.
32.
BernardOMaddioFOuattaraS, et al.Influence of the oxygen uptake slow component on the aerobic energy cost of high-intensity submaximal treadmill running in humans. Eur J Appl Physiol1998; 78: 578–585.
33.
WakelingJMRozitisAI. Spectral properties of myoelectric signals from different motor units in the leg extensor muscles. J Exp Biol2004; 207: 2519–2528.
34.
QiLPWakelingJMGreenA, et al.Spectral properties of electromyographic and mechanomyographic signals during isometric ramp and step contractions in biceps brachii. J Electromyogr Kinesiol2011; 21: 128–135.
35.
BeckTWvon TscharnerVHoushTL, et al.Time/frequency events of surface mechanomyographic signals resolved by nonlinear scaled wavelets. Biomed Signal Process Control2008; 3: 255–266.
36.
von TscharnerV. Intensity analysis in time-frequency space of surface myoelectric signals by wavelets of specified resolution. J Electromyogr Kinesiol2000; 10: 433–445.
37.
von TscharnerV. Time-frequency and principal-component methods for the analysis of EMGs recorded during a mildly fatiguing exercise on a cycle ergometer. J Electromyogr Kinesiol2002; 12: 479–492.
38.
De LucaCJ. Physiology and mathematics of myoelectric signals. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng1979; 26: 313–325.
39.
KildingAEChallisNVWinterEM, et al.Characterisation, asymmetry and pulmonary oxygen uptake kinetics reproducibility of on- and off-transient in endurance-trained runners. Eur J Appl Physiol2005; 93: 588–597.
40.
GranierPMercierBMercierJ, et al.Aerobic and anaerobic contribution to wingate test-performance in sprint and middle-distance runners. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol1995; 70: 58–65.
41.
BarstowTJJonesAMNguyenPH, et al.Influence of muscle fiber type and pedal frequency on oxygen uptake kinetics of heavy exercise. J Appl Physiol1996; 81: 1642–1650.
42.
PooleDC. Role of exercising muscle in slow component of VO2. Med Sci Sports Exer1994; 26: 1335–1340.
43.
WakelingJM. Motor units are recruited in a task-dependent fashion during locomotion. J Exp Biol2004; 207: 3883–3890.
44.
SabapathySSchneiderDAMorrisNR. The VO2 slow component: relationship between plasma ammonia and EMG activity. Med Sci Sports Exer2005; 37: 1502–1509.
45.
OsborneMASchneiderDA. Muscle glycogen reduction in man: relationship between surface EMG activity and oxygen uptake kinetics during heavy exercise. Exp Physiol2006; 91: 179–189.
46.
TordiNPerreySHarveyA, et al.Oxygen uptake kinetics during two bouts of heavy cycling separated by fatiguing sprint exercise in humans. J Appl Physiol2003; 94: 533–541.
47.
ScheuermannBWHoeltingBDNobleML, et al.The slow component of O2 uptake is not accompanied by changes in muscle EMG during repeated bouts of heavy exercise in humans. J Physiol2001; 531: 245–256.
48.
CleuziouCPerreySBorraniF, et al.VO2 and EMG activity kinetics during moderate and severe constant work rate exercise in trained cyclists. Can J Appl Physiol2004; 29: 758–772.
49.
BilodeauMCinceraMArsenaultAB, et al.Normality and stationarity of EMG signals of elbow flexor muscles during ramp and step isometric contractions. J Electromyogr Kinesiol1997; 7: 87–96.
50.
OkushimaDPooleDCRossiterHB, et al.Muscle deoxygenation in the quadriceps during ramp incremental cycling: deep vs. superficial heterogeneity. J Appl Physiol2015; 119: 1313–1319.
51.
PringleJSMDoustJHCarterH, et al.Effect of pedal rate on primary and slow-component oxygen uptake responses during heavy-cycle exercise. J Appl Physiol2003; 94: 1501–1507.
52.
BergerNJAJonesAM. Pulmonary O2 uptake on-kinetics in sprint- and endurance-trained athletes. Appl Physiol Nutrit Metab2007; 32: 383–393.
53.
VanhataloAJonesAMBurnleyM. Application of critical power in sport. Int J Sports Physiol Perform2011; 6: 128–136.
54.
PooleDCBurnleyMVanhataloA, et al.Critical power: an important fatigue threshold in exercisephysiology. Med Sci Sports Exer2016; 48: 2320–2334.
55.
PooleDCJonesAM. Measurement of the maximum oxygen uptake VO2max: VO2peak is no longer acceptable. J Appl Physiol2017; 122: 997–1002.
56.
PooleDCWilkersonDPJonesAM. Validity of criteria for establishing maximal O2 uptake during ramp exercise tests. Eur J Appl Physiol2008; 102: 403–410.
57.
BergerNJRittwegerJTolfreyK, et al.Pulmonary O2 uptake kinetics in sprint and endurance trained master athletes. Med Sci Sports Exer2005; 37: S362–S362.
