Enhanced sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release following intermittent sprint training
To evaluate the effect of intermittent sprint training on sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) function, nine young men performed a 5 wk high-intensity intermittent bicycle training, and six served as controls. SR function was evaluated from resting vastus lateralis muscle biopsies, before and after the training period. Intermittent sprint performance (ten 8-s all-out periods alternating with 32-s recovery) was enhanced 12% ( P < 0.01) after training. The 5-wk sprint training induced a significantly higher ( P < 0.05) peak rate of AgNO3-stimulated Ca2+ release from 709 (range 560–877; before) to 774 (596–977) arbitrary units Ca2+ ⋅ g protein− 1 ⋅ min− 1(after). The relative SR density of functional ryanodine receptors (RyR) remained unchanged after training; there was, however, a 48% ( P < 0.05) increase in total number of RyR. No significant differences in Ca2+ uptake rate and Ca2+-ATPase capacity were observed following the training, despite that the relative density of Ca2+-ATPase isoforms SERCA1 and SERCA2 had increased 41% and 55%, respectively ( P < 0.05). These data suggest that high-intensity training induces an enhanced peak SR Ca2+ release, due to an enhanced total volume of SR, whereas SR Ca2+ sequestration function is not altered.