Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Performance Research for February: Protein Synthesis and Exercise Round 3

Kind of a "Duh" study below, but it is always nice to have research back up what we already "think" we know. I have my standard comments at the end as always.

I think it was Dr. Peter Lemon (someone correct me if I am wrong) that stated (paraphrasing here) "just because it is logical doesn't mean is physioloLOGICAL"

Just in case you need some music to get you through the reading of the following abstract, here is the new video from my boys Five Finger Death Punch. They got their name from a martial arts move. The first 35 seconds may not be work friendly if you are being watched, just a heads up.




Resistance exercise increases postprandial muscle protein synthesis in humans.

Witard OC, Tieland M, Beelen M, Tipton KD, van Loon LJ, Koopman R. School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM.


PURPOSE: We examined the impact of an acute bout of resistance-type exercise on mixed muscle protein synthesis in the fed state.

METHODS: After a standardized breakfast, 10 untrained males completed a single, unilateral lower-limb resistance-type exercise session. A primed, continuous infusion of l-[ring-C6]phenylalanine was combined with muscle biopsy collection from both the exercised (Ex) and the nonexercised (NEx) leg to assess the impact of local muscle contractions on muscle protein synthesis rates after food intake. Western blotting with phosphospecific and pan antibodies was used to determine the phosphorylation status of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), 4E-binding protein (4E-BP1), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K1).


RESULTS: Muscle protein synthesis rates were approximately 20% higher in Ex compared with NEx (0.098% +/- 0.005% vs 0.083% +/- 0.002%.h, respectively, P <> 0.05).


CONCLUSION: We conclude that resistance-type exercise performed in a fed state further elevates postprandial muscle protein synthesis rates, which is accompanied by an increase in S6 and 4E-BP1 phosphorylation state.

My Notes: This study pretty much tells us what we know already, to build muscle you need to lift some darn weights! I wish they would have used TRAINED subjects for it, but it does give us some insights into the mechanisms behind it.

This was also interesting since it used subjects in a fed state, so they had eaten and were NOT fasted.