THE EFFECTS OF TRAINING AND OF GELATIN UPON CERTAIN FACTORS WHICH LIMIT MUSCULAR WORK

Abstract

Nine non-athletic men were trained for running during a period of 26 wks. 6 of them took 60 g. of gelatin a day from the 9th through the 15th wk. of training and 3 took the same amt. of gelatin from the 15th through the 21st wk. Changes associated with training were consistent improvement in timed races on the track; an avg. increase of 16% in the maximal O2 consumption during exhausting work; an increase in the lactic acid mechanism for contracting an O2 debt; an improvement of 8% in efficiency in running; and a slight increase in the excretion of creatinine during the first part of the training period. The training had no effect on the basal metabolism and caused only a slight rise of efficiency in grade walking. None of the above functions were affected by gelatin. Neither the "alactacid O2 debt" nor the lactic acid mechanism was affected by gelatin.