Anaerobic energy release in working muscle during 30 s to 3 min of exhausting bicycling

To examine the anaerobic energy release during intense exercise, 16 healthy young men cycled as long as possible at constant powers chosen to exhaust the subjects in approximately 30 s, 1 min, or 2-3 min. Muscle biopsies were taken before and approximately 10 s after exercise and analyzed for lactate, phosphocreatine (PCr), and other metabolites. O2 uptake was measured for determination of the accumulated O2 deficit (a whole body measure of the anaerobic energy release), and this indirect measure of the anaerobic energy release was compared with a direct value obtained from measured muscle metabolites. Muscle lactate concentration rose by 30.0 +/- 1.2 mmol/kg and muscle PCr concentration fell by 12.4 +/- 0.9 mmol/kg during the 2-3 min of exhausting exercise. The anaerobic ATP production was consequently 58 +/- 2 mmol/kg wet muscle mass, which may be the maximum anaerobic energy release for human muscle during bicycling. Because the anaerobic ATP production was 6 and 32% less for 1 min and 30 s of exercise, respectively, than for 2 min of exercise (P < 0.03), 2 min of exhausting exercise may be required for maximal use of anaerobic sources. Lactate production provided three times more ATP than PCr breakdown for all three exercise durations. There was a close linear relationship between the rates of anaerobic ATP production in muscle and the value estimated for the whole body by the O2 deficit (r = 0.94). This suggests that the accumulated O2 deficit is a valid measure of the anaerobic energy release during bicycling.