Study sheds light on body�s varied response to exercise
Resistance exercise is the way to go for people who want to increase their muscle size and strength, while endurance exercise is key for boosting stamina. But what are the mechanisms that drive the bodys response to these different forms of exercise? A new study has identified one gene that plays a key role. Study coauthor Heikki Kainulainen, of the University of Jyvskyl in Finland, and colleagues publish their findings in the journal Physiological Reports.
Resistance exercise is defined as any activity that causes the skeletal muscles to contract, such as weightlifting, push-ups and squats. Endurance exercise, or aerobic exercise, is any activity that maintains an increase in heart rate and breathing, such as walking, cycling and swimming. Both forms of exercise have a different impact on the body. While resistance exercise can improve strength of skeletal muscles, endurance exercise can improve overall functional capacity.
Because the effects of resistance and endurance exercise are so diverse, researchers speculate that there are numerous different processes involved in how the body responds to each form of physical activity. Yet, Kainulainen and colleagues note, there have been attempts to identify single signaling cascades or molecules that could work as a master regulator for controlling exercise-specific adaptations.
Previous research has indicated that a gene called peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1 (PGC-1) may be involved in how the body responds to certain forms of exercise. The team set out to investigate the role of this gene further in this latest study. The researchers enrolled 19 physically active men to their study and divided them into two groups. One group performed 50 minutes of endurance exercise in the form of walking on a treadmill, while the other group performed 50 minutes of leg press exercises, representing resistance activity.
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