The effects of endurance training (running 30 m/min, 10% grade for 90 min, 5 days/wk for 12 wk) on skeletal muscle glucose uptake during steady-state exercise (running 20 m/min) were studied in fed rats. A bolus injection of 2-[1,2-3H]deoxyglucose was administered to assess the glucose metabolic index (R'g), an indicator of glucose uptake, in individual tissues of the animal. After 55 min of rest or moderate exercise, various tissues were analyzed for accumulation of phosphorylated 2-[1,2-3H]-deoxyglucose and/or glycogen content. No differences were observed between groups in the resting glycogen content for any of the muscle samples examined. Resting plasma glucose concentrations were not significantly different between groups. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in R'g between groups for any of the muscle examined (tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longus, soleus, white gastrocnemius, red gastrocnemius). During exercise, plasma glucose concentrations were not significantly different between groups. Exercise significantly elevated R'g above resting values in the tibialis anterior (5-fold), soleus (3-fold), and red gastrocnemius (7.5-fold). Despite an elevated R'g for specific muscles during exercise, no significant differences were observed in glucose uptake between groups for any tissue examined. Concomitantly, trained animals exhibited significantly less muscle glycogen depletion during exercise compared with control animals. Liver glycogen levels were also significantly higher post-exercise in trained vs. control animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)