Health TrialsbyHealthPanel

Effects of Exercise Frequency on Muscle Size and Strength in Healthy, Untrained Young Adults

ConditionHealthy Adult Male and Female Volunteers
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age19-39
SponsorCameron Mitchell

About this trial

Resistance training (RT) is important for building and maintaining healthy muscles. An exercise frequency called "exercise snacks" involves short bursts of exercise throughout the day (\~5-15 minutes), but no studies have examined a gym-based RT exercise snack program. The invetigators will randomize 40 participants into one of two groups for 10 weeks: the control group will complete two full-body workouts per week (standard-frequency) and the experimental group will complete 10 mini-workouts per week (high-frequency). Muscle hypertrophy (size) and strength will be measured before and after the exercise program to determine if the participants had the same or different results.

Eligibility criteria

This trial accepts healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Can fluently read and write in English

Lives, works, and/or studies at or near the Gateway Health Building (where all study visits will occur)

Willing and able to commit to 2 or 10 in-person training sessions per week for 10 continuous weeks, as well as one week of testing before the training period and one week of testing after the training period

Has continuous access to smartphone or other device that they can use to access the Technogym app

Disqualifiers

Any major uncontrolled cardiovascular, muscular, metabolic, and/or neurological disorders

Lung disease, kidney disease, or liver disease

Current diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or cancer

Medical conditions that limit their ability to undertake strenuous physical activity

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • 10 sessions per week of resistance training

    Behavioral

    Full-body resistance training consisting of 10 sets per week for all major muscle groups with progressive overload in a gym-based setting. Training at an exercise frequency of 10 brief sessions per week (around 8-12 minutes per session).

  • Two sessions per week of resistance training

    Behavioral

    Full-body resistance training consisting of 10 sets per week for all major muscle groups with progressive overload in a gym-based setting. Training at an exercise frequency of two sessions per week (around 45-60 minutes per session).

Treatment groups

40 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: Standard-frequency resistance trainingActive comparator 1 intervention
Group B: High-frequency resistance trainingExperimental treatment 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Change in Total Body Skeletal Muscle Mass Measured using the D3-Creatine Dilution Method

Time frame
From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)

Secondary outcomes

1

Change in Total Body Muscle Size Measured as Cross-sectional Area using Muscle Ultrasound Imaging

Muscle ultrasound imaging will be conducted on one randomly selected side of the body (left or right) for each participant. Scans will be analyzed to determine the cross-sectional area of the following seven muscles: rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, biceps brachii, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, triceps brachii, and hamstring group (semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and long head of biceps femoris).

Time frame
From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
2

Change in Muscle Strength Measured as the One-Repetition Maximum of Back Squat and Bench Press

One-repetition maximums will be measured using a Quantum Synchro Smith Machine.

Time frame
From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
3

Change in Skeletal Muscle Power Measured at Various Relative Loads for Back Squat and Bench Press

At enrolment (Week 1), power will be measured using a Quantum Synchro Smith Machine at 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% of the participant's initial one-repetition maximum (1RM) for back squat and bench press. At the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12), if a participant's 1RM has increased by less than 25%, power will be measured at the same relative loads. If a participant's 1RM has increased by 25-49%, power will be measured at 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% of the participant's initial 1RM (in this case, 90% of the participant's initial 1RM would not exceed 80% of the participant's post-training 1RM). If a participant's 1RM has increased by 50% or greater, power will be measured at 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% of the participant's initial 1RM (in this case, 100% of the participant's initial 1RM would not exceed 80% of the participant's post-training 1RM).

Time frame
From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
4

Participant Satisfaction with the Exercise Program

Participant satisfaction with the exercise program will be measured using a modified Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (subscales of "Interest/Enjoyment", "Percieved Competence", "Effort/Importance", and "Value/Usefullness").

Time frame
At the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Cameron Mitchell

Lead sponsor

University of British Columbia

Sponsor institution

Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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