Muscle fiber hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and capillary density in college men after resistance training

1996 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 2004-2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. McCall ◽  
W. C. Byrnes ◽  
A. Dickinson ◽  
P. M. Pattany ◽  
S. J. Fleck

McCall, G. E., W. C. Byrnes, A. Dickinson, P. M. Pattany, and S. J. Fleck. Muscle fiber hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and capillary density in college men after resistance training. J. Appl. Physiol. 81(5): 2004–2012, 1996.—Twelve male subjects with recreational resistance training backgrounds completed 12 wk of intensified resistance training (3 sessions/wk; 8 exercises/session; 3 sets/exercise; 10 repetitions maximum/set). All major muscle groups were trained, with four exercises emphasizing the forearm flexors. After training, strength (1-repetition maximum preacher curl) increased by 25% ( P < 0.05). Magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed an increase in the biceps brachii muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) (from 11.8 ± 2.7 to 13.3 ± 2.6 cm2; n = 8; P < 0.05). Muscle biopsies of the biceps brachii revealed increases ( P < 0.05) in fiber areas for type I (from 4,196 ± 859 to 4,617 ± 1,116 μm2; n = 11) and II fibers (from 6,378 ± 1,552 to 7,474 ± 2,017 μm2; n = 11). Fiber number estimated from the above measurements did not change after training (293.2 ± 61.5 × 103 pretraining; 297.5 ± 69.5 × 103 posttraining; n = 8). However, the magnitude of muscle fiber hypertrophy may influence this response because those subjects with less relative muscle fiber hypertrophy, but similar increases in muscle CSA, showed evidence of an increase in fiber number. Capillaries per fiber increased significantly ( P < 0.05) for both type I (from 4.9 ± 0.6 to 5.5 ± 0.7; n = 10) and II fibers (from 5.1 ± 0.8 to 6.2 ± 0.7; n = 10). No changes occurred in capillaries per fiber area or muscle area. In conclusion, resistance training resulted in hypertrophy of the total muscle CSA and fiber areas with no change in estimated fiber number, whereas capillary changes were proportional to muscle fiber growth.

1983 ◽  
Vol 245 (2) ◽  
pp. H368-H374 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. H. Sarelius ◽  
L. C. Maxwell ◽  
S. D. Gray ◽  
B. R. Duling

We determined muscle fiber type and capillarity in cremaster muscle samples from rats and hamsters of different ages. Histochemical estimation of oxidative capacity was made from the activity of either nicotinamide dinucleotide tetrazolium reductase (NADH-TR) or succinic dehydrogenase (SDH), and fibers were termed fast or slow from myofibrillar ATPase activity. Fibers were classified as type I (low ATPase, high NADH-TR/SDH), type IIa (high ATPase, high SDH/NADH-TR), type IIb (high ATPase, low SDH/NADH-TR), or type IIc (no acid reversal of ATPase, high NADH-TR). Type IIb fibers accounted for 60-80% of the muscle area in both species at all ages. The principal change with maturation was muscle fiber hypertrophy. Mean cross-sectional fiber area increased from 488 +/- 70 (SE) and 453 +/- 19 micron2 in young hamsters and rats, respectively, to 1,255 +/- 99 and 1,540 +/- 101 micron2 in adults. Capillary density (no. of capillaries/mm2 tissue) paralleled fiber hypertrophy; it decreased significantly with maturation from 684 +/- 60 (SE) to 228 +/- 26/mm2 in hamsters and from 341 +/- 15 to 213 +/- 15/mm2 in rats. In vitro estimates of capillary density are compared with previously obtained in vivo data (31), and sources of error are identified. We conclude that reported differences in microvascular function in the cremaster muscle in vivo during maturation or between species cannot be ascribed to changes in muscle composition.


1987 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1786-1793 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Sale ◽  
J. D. MacDougall ◽  
S. E. Alway ◽  
J. R. Sutton

Eight untrained women (F), 13 untrained men (M), and 11 male bodybuilders (BB) did maximal elbow flexions on an isokinetic dynamometer at velocities of 30, 120, 180, 240, and 300 degrees/s, from which impact torque (IT), peak torque (PT), and work (W) were measured. Biceps and total flexor cross-sectional area (CSA) were measured by computerized tomographic scanning. Muscle fiber area, fiber composition, and collagen volume density were determined from single needle biopsies of biceps brachii. Biceps fiber number was estimated as the ratio of biceps CSA (corrected for connective tissue) to mean fiber area. PT and W decreased at higher velocities in M and BB but not in F; consequently, the correlation between CSA and PT and W was lower at 300 degrees/s (r = 0.58, 0.60) than 30 degrees/s (r = 0.80, 0.79). The ratio of PT to flexor CSA was similar in all groups at 30 degrees/s, whereas F had greater ratios than M and BB at the remaining velocities. F had greater W/CSA ratios than M and BB at all velocities. IT increased at higher velocities in all groups; the increase was greater in F and M than in BB. In contrast to PT and W, the correlation between IT and CSA was greater at 300 degrees/s (r = 0.67) than 30 degrees/s (r = 0.58), and there were no differences among groups in the IT/CSA ratios. Flexor CSA correlated negatively with the ratio of IT, PT, and W to CSA. Muscle fiber composition failed to correlate with any measure of strength. M and BB had greater biceps area, fiber number, and fiber area than F.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1985 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 619-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. F. Timson ◽  
B. K. Bowlin ◽  
G. A. Dudenhoeffer ◽  
J. B. George

Muscle fiber number, cross-sectional area, and composition were studied in response to enlargement produced by synergistic ablation in the mouse soleus muscle. The effect of the location of a histological section on the number of fibers that appear in the section was also studied using the mouse soleus muscle. Enlargement was produced in the soleus muscle of 15 male and 15 female mice by ablation of the ipsilateral gastrocnemius muscle. Fiber counts, using the nitric acid digestion method, revealed no difference between control and enlarged muscles in male and female mice. Mean fiber area, determined by planimetry, was 49.1 and 34.5% greater following enlargement in male and female mice, respectively. Increase in muscle weight could be totally accounted for by the increase in fiber area following enlargement. A transformation of type II to type I fibers occurred following enlargement for both sexes. Counts of fibers from histological sections revealed that there was a progressive decrease in the fiber number as the section was moved from the belly to the distal end of the muscle. The results of these studies indicate that muscle enlargement in the mouse soleus muscle is due to hypertrophy of the existing muscle fibers.


1991 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 1912-1916 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Charette ◽  
L. McEvoy ◽  
G. Pyka ◽  
C. Snow-Harter ◽  
D. Guido ◽  
...  

We conducted a 12-wk resistance training program in elderly women [mean age 69 +/- 1.0 (SE) yr] to determine whether increases in muscle strength are associated with changes in cross-sectional fiber area of the vastus lateralis muscle. Twenty-seven healthy women were randomly assigned to either a control or exercise group. The program was satisfactorily completed and adequate biopsy material obtained from 6 controls and 13 exercisers. After initial testing of baseline maximal strength, exercisers began a training regimen consisting of seven exercises that stressed primary muscle groups of the lower extremities. No active intervention was prescribed for the controls. Increases in muscle strength of the exercising subjects were significant compared with baseline values (28-115%) in all muscle groups. No significant strength changes were observed in the controls. Cross-sectional area of type II muscle fibers significantly increased in the exercisers (20.1 +/- 6.8%, P = 0.02) compared with baseline. In contrast, no significant change in type II fiber area was observed in the controls. No significant changes in type I fiber area were found in either group. We conclude that a program of resistance exercise can be safely carried out by elderly women, such a program significantly increases muscle strength, and such gains are due, at least in part, to muscle hypertrophy.


1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Alway ◽  
W. H. Grumbt ◽  
W. J. Gonyea ◽  
J. Stray-Gundersen

Muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), fiber area, and fiber number were determined from the biceps brachii of eight elite male bodybuilders (MB) and five elite female bodybuilders (FB) who had similar training characteristics. Biceps CSA was obtained from computer tomographic scanning and corrected for noncontractile tissue. Biceps CSA was twofold greater in MB relative to FB and strongly correlated to lean body mass (R = 0.93). Biceps CSA expressed per kilogram lean body mass (LBM) or per centimeter body height (BH) was 35% greater in MB compared with FB. Most of the gender difference in muscle CSA was because of greater absolute mean fiber areas in MB (9,607 microns2) relative to FB (5,386 microns2); however, MB also had a significantly greater population of small type II fibers (less than 2,000 microns2) compared with FB. Type II fiber area/LBM averaged 1.6-fold greater in MB compared with FB; however, type I fiber area/LBM was similar between groups. Biceps CSA was positively correlated to fiber CSA (R = 0.75) and fiber number (R = 0.55). This suggests that adaptations to resistance training may be complex and involve fiber hypertrophy and fiber number (e.g., proliferation). Alternatively, since the muscle characteristics before training are not known, these apparent adaptations might be genetically determined attributes.


2005 ◽  
Vol 98 (5) ◽  
pp. 1768-1776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim N. Shepstone ◽  
Jason E. Tang ◽  
Stephane Dallaire ◽  
Mark D. Schuenke ◽  
Robert S. Staron ◽  
...  

We performed two studies to determine the effect of a resistive training program comprised of fast vs. slow isokinetic lengthening contractions on muscle fiber hypertrophy. In study I, we investigated the effect of fast (3.66 rad/s; Fast) or slow (0.35 rad/s; Slow) isokinetic high-resistance muscle lengthening contractions on muscle fiber and whole muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) of the elbow flexors was investigated in young men. Twelve subjects (23.8 ± 2.4 yr; means ± SD) performed maximal resistive lengthening isokinetic exercise with both arms for 8 wk (3 days/wk), during which they trained one arm at a Fast velocity while the contralateral arm performed an equivalent number of contractions at a Slow velocity. Before (Pre) and after (Post) the training, percutaneous muscle biopsies were taken from the midbelly of the biceps brachii and analyzed for fiber type and CSA. Type I muscle fiber size increased Pre to Post ( P < 0.05) in both Fast and Slow arms. Type IIa and IIx muscle fiber CSA increased in both arms, but the increases were greater in the Fast- vs. the Slow-trained arm ( P < 0.05). Elbow flexor CSA increased in Fast and Slow arms, with the increase in the Fast arm showing a trend toward being greater ( P = 0.06). Maximum torque-generating capacity also increased to a greater degree ( P < 0.05) in the Fast arm, regardless of testing velocity. In study II, we attempted to provide some explanation of the greater hypertrophy observed in study I by examining an indicator of protein remodeling (Z-line streaming), which we hypothesized would be greater in the Fast condition. Nine men (21.7 ± 2.4 yr) performed an acute bout ( n = 30, 3 sets × 10 repetitions/set) of maximal lengthening contractions at Fast and Slow velocities used in the training study. Biopsies revealed that Fast lengthening contractions resulted in more (185 ± 1 7%; P < 0.01) Z-band streaming per millimeter squared muscle vs. the Slow arm. In conclusion, training using Fast (3.66 rad/s) lengthening contractions leads to greater hypertrophy and strength gains than Slow (0.35 rad/s) lengthening contractions. The greater hypertrophy seen in the Fast-trained arm ( study I) may be related to a greater amount of protein remodeling (Z-band streaming; study II).


1992 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 1512-1521 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Alway ◽  
W. H. Grumbt ◽  
J. Stray-Gundersen ◽  
W. J. Gonyea

The influence of gender on muscular adaptation of the elbow flexors to 24 wk of heavy resistance training was studied in five male bodybuilders (MB) and five female bodybuilders (FB) who were highly competitive. Muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), fiber area, and fiber number were determined from the biceps brachii, and voluntary elbow flexor torque was obtained at velocities of contraction between 0 and 300 degrees/s. Biceps and flexor CSA was 75.8 and 81% greater, respectively, in MB than in FB, but muscle CSA was not significantly altered by the training program in either group. Because estimated fiber number and the volume density of nonmuscle tissue were similar in MB and FB, most of the gender difference in muscle CSA appeared to be due to greater absolute mean fiber areas in MB (10.51 and 10.68 x 10(3) microns 2 pre- and posttraining, respectively) than in FB (5.33 and 5.96 x 10(3) microns 2 pre- and posttraining, respectively). In neither MB nor FB did fiber type achieve further hypertrophy during the 24-wk training program. These data suggest that the extent of any change in muscle mass or muscle fiber characteristics is minimal after a bodybuilder of either gender has attained a high degree of muscle mass and a highly competitive status.


1989 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 771-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Alway ◽  
P. K. Winchester ◽  
M. E. Davis ◽  
W. J. Gonyea

The relative contribution of increases in fiber area to stretch-induced muscle enlargement was evaluated in the slow tonic fibers of the anterior latissimus dorsi of adult Japanese quails. A weight corresponding to 10% of the bird's body mass was attached to one wing. Thirty days of stretch in 34 birds averaged 171.8 +/- 13.5% increase in muscle mass and 23.5 +/- 0.8% increase in muscle fiber length. The volume density of noncontractile tissue increased in middle and distal regions of stretch-enlarged muscles. Mean fiber cross-sectional area increased 56.7 +/- 12.3% in the midregion of stretched muscles. Further analysis indicated slow beta-fiber hypertrophy occurred in proximal, middle, and distal regions; however, fast alpha-type fiber hypertrophy was limited to middle regions of stretched muscles. Stretched muscles had a significant increase in the frequency of slow beta-fibers that were less than 500 microns 2 in all regions and fast alpha-type fibers in middle and distal regions. Total fiber number was determined after nitric acid digestion of connective tissue in 10 birds. Fiber number increased 51.8 +/- 19.4% in stretched muscle. These results are the first to clearly show that muscle fiber proliferation contributes substantially to adult skeletal muscle stretch-induced enlargement, although we do not know whether the responses of the slow tonic anterior latissimus dorsi might be similar or different from mammalian twitch muscle.


1992 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 812-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Aniansson ◽  
G. Grimby ◽  
M. Hedberg

Muscle strength and muscle morphology have been studied three times during a period of 11 yr in nine elderly men. On the last occasion the average age was 80.4 (range 79–82) yr. Body cell mass decreased by 6% and muscle strength for knee extension, measured by means of isometric and concentric isokinetic (30–60 degrees/s) recordings, declined by 25–35% over the 11-yr period. Between 76 and 80 yr of age only the isokinetic strength for 30 degrees/s decreased significantly. Muscle fiber composition in the vastus lateralis did not change between 69 and 76 yr of age, but there was a significant reduction in the proportion of type IIb fibers from 76 to 80 yr. The decrease in type II fiber areas was not significant between 69 and 76 yr of age (as in a larger sample from the same population), but a significant increase in both type I and type II fiber areas was recorded from 76 to 80 yr of age and biceps brachii showed similar tendencies. In the same period, the enzymatic activities of myokinase and lactate dehydrogenase subsided in the vastus lateralis, but there was no change for triose phosphate dehydrogenase, 3-hydroxy-CoA-dehydrogenase, and citrate synthase. The muscle fiber hypertrophy in this group of elderly men with maintained physical activity between 76 and 80 yr of age is interpreted as a compensatory adaptation for the loss of motor units. In addition, the adaptation with respect to oxidative capacities seems to be maintained at this age.


1992 ◽  
Vol 263 (5) ◽  
pp. R1093-R1098 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Powers ◽  
D. Criswell ◽  
F. K. Lieu ◽  
S. Dodd ◽  
H. Silverman

Limited data exist concerning the effects of exercise training on cellular oxidative capacity in the diaphragm of senescent animals. In this study we examined the changes in cellular oxidative capacity, muscle cell cross-sectional area (CSA), and capillarity within the costal diaphragm of senescent animals after a 10-wk endurance-training program. Twelve 24-mo-old female Fischer 344 rats were divided into either a sedentary control group (n = 6) or exercise training group (n = 6). The trained animals exercised on a motor-driven treadmill (60 min/day, 5 days/wk) at a work rate equal to approximately 55-65% VO2max. Capillaries were identified histologically and fiber types determined using adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) histochemistry. Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and CSA in individual fibers were measured using a computerized image analysis system. Exercise training did not increase (P > 0.05) the capillary-to-fiber ratio for any fiber type. However, training significantly decreased CSA (P < 0.05) and increased capillary density (capillary number/CSA) (P < 0.05) in type I, type IIa, and type IIb fibers. Furthermore, exercise training resulted in small but significant increase in SDH activity (P < 0.05) in type I and IIa fibers, whereas training did not alter SDH activity (P > 0.05) in type IIb fibers. These data demonstrate that endurance training in senescent animals results in small relative improvements in both oxidative capacity and capillary density in costal diaphragmatic type I and IIa muscle fibers. The increase in both capillary density and fiber SDH activity was largely due to a reduction in fiber CSA.


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