Effect of Bruce and Wingate Protocols on PGC-1α in Well-Trained Endurance Athletes
İbrahim Orkun Akcan, Sibel Tetik Dündar, Süleyman Gönülateş · The Online Journal of Recreation and Sport · 2026
PGC-1α (Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha) is a transcriptional coactivator that plays a key role in exercise-induced metabolic adaptations. The
Purpose: of this study is to compare serum PGC-1α levels before and after aerobic and anaerobic power tests in well-trained endurance athletes. Twenty-five healthy male cross-country skiers with an average age of 20.56 ± 2.27 years, who had at least three years of endurance training experience and trained regularly at least 5 days a week, were included in the study using cluster sampling. Two different test protocols were applied to the participants 48 hours apart: the Wingate anaerobic power test and the Bruce treadmill protocol. The Wingate test was used to assess anaerobic capacity, while the Bruce protocol was used to evaluate maximal aerobic capacity. Blood samples were taken at three time points: before each test (in the morning in a fasting state), 2 hours after, and 48 hours after, and serum PGC-1α levels were analyzed using the ELISA
Method: . A mixed
Design: ANOVA was used to examine the time-dependent changes within each protocol, while a one-way ANOVA was used for inter-protocol comparisons. Both test protocols produced significant time-dependent increases in serum PGC-1α levels (Bruce: p < .001, η² = .456; Wingate: p = .020, η² = .953). Statistically significant differences were found between the pre- and post-tests in both protocols (p < .05). In inter-protocol comparison, significant differences were only observed in pre-test values (p = .05). The average PGC-1α levels (ng/mL) were as follows: Bruce – pre-test: 4.949 ± 0.807, 2 hours: 5.739 ± 1.050, 48 hours: 6.343 ± 1.001; Wingate – pre-test: 3.984 ± 1.037, 2 hours: 4.622 ± 0.782, 48 hours: 5.254 ± 0.747. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise protocols lead to significant increases in serum PGC-1α levels. However, the Bruce treadmill protocol appears to elicit this increase more strongly. This suggests that aerobic exercise may be more effective in enhancing transcriptional activity related to mitochondrial biogenesis.