Interlimb differences in parameters of aerobic function and local profiles of deoxygenation during double-leg and counterweighted single-leg cycling

• Published in: American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology Vol. 317; no. 6; p. R840
• Main Authors: Iannetta, Danilo, Passfield, Louis, Qahtani, Ahmad, MacInnis, Martin J, Murias, Juan M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-12-2019
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Adult; Bicycling; Exercise - physiology; Humans; Leg; Male; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Oxygen Consumption - physiology; Young Adult; near-infrared spectroscopy; dominant; nondominant; unilateral exercise; muscle deoxygenation
• ISSN: 1522-1490
• DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00164.2019

It is typically assumed that in the context of double-leg cycling, dominant (DOM
) and nondominant legs (NDOM
) have similar aerobic capacity and both contribute equally to the whole body physiological responses. However, there is a paucity of studies that have systematically investigated maximal and submaximal aerobic performance and characterized the profiles of local muscle deoxygenation in relation to leg dominance. Using counterweighted single-leg cycling, this study explored whether peak O
consumption (V̇o
), maximal lactate steady-state (MLSS
), and profiles of local deoxygenation [HHb] would be different in the DOM
compared with the NDOM
. Twelve participants performed a series of double-leg and counterweighted single-leg DOM
and NDOM
ramp-exercise tests and 30-min constant-load trials. V̇o
was greater in the DOM
than in the NDOM
(2.87 ± 0.42 vs. 2.70 ± 0.39 L/min,
< 0.05). The difference in V̇o
persisted even after accounting for lean mass (
< 0.05). Similarly, MLSS
was greater in the DOM
than in the NDOM
(118 ± 31 vs. 109 ± 31 W;
< 0.05). Furthermore, the amplitude of the [HHb] signal during ramp exercise was larger in the DOM
than in the NDOM
during both double-leg (26.0 ± 8.4 vs. 20.2 ± 8.8 µM,
< 0.05) and counterweighted single-leg cycling (18.5 ± 7.9 vs. 14.9 ± 7.5 µM,
< 0.05). Additionally, the amplitudes of the [HHb] signal were highly to moderately correlated with the mode-specific V̇o
values (ranging from 0.91 to 0.54). These findings showed in a group of young men that maximal and submaximal aerobic capacities were greater in the DOM
than in the NDOM
and that superior peripheral adaptations of the DOM
may underpin these differences.
It is typically assumed that the dominant and nondominant legs contribute equally to the whole physiological responses. In this study, we found that the dominant leg achieved greater peak O
uptake values, sustained greater power output while preserving whole body metabolic stability, and showed larger amplitudes of deoxygenation responses. These findings highlight heterogeneous aerobic capacities of the lower limbs, which have important implications when whole body physiological responses are examined.