Increased chronic acceleration exposure enhances work capacity.
Adult male chickens adapted to 1.75 or 2.5 G from long term centrifugation, were maximally exercised on an animal treadmill at 1 g (Earth's gravity) and compared with the exercise capacities of control chickens raised at 1 g. The increased-G birds had statistically significantly greater exercise capacities than the controls during the first 3 weeks of the study after the initial exercise exposure. Thereafter however for the following two months of the study, there was no difference in either group's exercise capacities. This early increased work capacity was attributed to the increased-G birds improved ability to maximize their muscular strength with neurological adaptation. The increased-G birds lost body mass at a 31% greater rate during exercise than the controls although this difference was not statistically significant. This increased body mass loss was considered to have resulted from increased use of glycogen during exercise.
Burton
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Air Force Research Laboratory, Brooks AFB, Texas, USA. russell.burton@vanadium.brooks.af.mil
Smith
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D000054:Acceleration; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D002498:Centrifugation; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D018471:Hypergravity; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology