When aerobic exercise is performed repeatedly, an important response is an increase in the amount of mitochondria, which provide the cell with energy. Higher intensities of exercise seem to increase the amount of mitochondria more than lower intensities, even when the same amount of work is performed. Our experiment is the first to compare rates of muscle protein synthesis in response to two different intensities of aerobic exercise, using a unique within-subject model that permits the response in one leg to be directly compared to the other leg in the same person.
Impact
The project impact is 2-fold: 1) To advance basic knowledge regarding the regulation of human skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise training; 2) To facilitate a collaborative research experience involving international travel for a graduate student trainee.
Student Experience
This project was also supported by The Naomi Cermak Memorial Graduate Travel Award. This award was established in 2015 with a gift from from Maastricht University. The award is generally intended to support student travel and accommodation costs that facilitate a collaborative research experience in a laboratory at the partner institution. One award is usually made each academic year to a student from the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster or the Department of Human Movement Sciences at Maastricht University, on an alternating basis. For 2016, a student from Maastricht traveled to McMaster to help facilitate the research study.
