Resistance Training Added to Aerobic Interval Training to Improve Aerobic Capacity and Muscle Mass in Women With Coronary Artery Disease

NCT07354399 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: UKCLRehabVAKAR
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to find out whether partly replacing aerobic interval training (AIT) with resistance training (RT) leads to greater improvements in physical fitness and muscle mass in women with coronary artery disease (CAD) during cardiac rehabilitation. The main questions this study aims to answer are:

• Does combining RT (squats and pulling exercises with weights) with a reduced amount of AIT (cycling) improve aerobic fitness in the same way as AIT alone?
• Does the combined training lead to greater improvements in muscle mass compared with AIT alone?
• Does slow-speed RT (slower lowering phase) result in lower heart rate and blood pressure during exercise compared with normal-speed RT? Researchers will compare three exercise programs:
• AIT only (control group),
• AIT combined with normal-speed RT (1-second lifting, 2-second lowering),
• AIT combined with slow-speed RT (1-second lifting, 5-second lowering). Participants will take part in a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation program and will train three times per week. At the start and end of the program, participants will complete a cycling fitness test, body composition assessment, blood sampling, two strength tests, and quality-of-life questionnaire.

Conditions

Coronary Artery Disease With Myocardial Infarction

Keywords

Coronary Artery Disease; Resistance Training; Cardiac Rehabilitation; Women

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Maximal Aerobic Capacity

  Maximal aerobic capacity (VO2peak) will be assessed using a modified Ramp protocol on the Schiller ERR 911 cycle ergometer in combination with the Cardiovit CS-200 Excellence ergo-spirometer (Schiller, Switzerland). Following baseline spirometry, participants will perform a warm-up phase of unloaded cycling for up to three minutes, after which the workload will increase incrementally by 10-25 W every minute until exhaustion or the appearance of clinical indications for test termination. Throughout the test, the supervisor will monitor for any signs or symptoms warranting termination, in accordance with the American Heart Association guidelines.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 week.

• Lean Body Mass

  Body composition, including lean body mass (also called fat-free mass; calculated by subtracting body fat weight from total body weight) and fat mass, will be assessed using whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) (Hologic, USA), which is considered the gold standard for evaluating body composition due to its high accuracy and reproducibility .

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks.

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Blood Biomarkers

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks.

• Handgrip Strength

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks.

• 30-Second Sit-to-Stand Test

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks.

• Quality of Life Measure

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks.

Study Arms (3)

Aerobic Interval Training

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Other: Aerobic Interval Training

Combined Training 1

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Aerobic Interval Training; Other: Traditional Resistance Training

Combined Training 2

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: Aerobic Interval Training; Other: Prolonged Eccentric Phase Resistance Training

Interventions

Aerobic Interval Training OTHER

Interval cycling, performed at 70-80% of the heart rate reserve (HRR) as determined during the cardiopulmonary exercise test. The training is structured as alternating high- and low-intensity intervals.

Aerobic Interval Training; Combined Training 1; Combined Training 2

Traditional Resistance Training OTHER

Resistance training with traditional tempo (1-second ascent, 2-second descent) - squat exercise and horizontal pull.

Combined Training 1

Prolonged Eccentric Phase Resistance Training OTHER

Resistance training with prolonged eccentric phase tempo (1-second ascent, 5-second descent) - squat exercise and horizontal pull.

Combined Training 2

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• documented CAD,
• stable clinical status (at least 1 month since myocardial infarction and/or elective percutaneous coronary intervention, at least 3 months since cardiac surgery).

You may not qualify if:

• based on the American Heart Association guidelines for resistance training in patients with CAD,
• pregnancy.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Medical Centre Ljubljana: lead

Study Sites (1)

University Medical Centre Ljubljana (Department of Vascular Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine)

Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia

RECRUITING

Related Publications (4)

• Hansen D, Abreu A, Doherty P, Voller H. Dynamic strength training intensity in cardiovascular rehabilitation: is it time to reconsider clinical practice? A systematic review. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2019 Sep;26(14):1483-1492. doi: 10.1177/2047487319847003. Epub 2019 May 2.

  PMID: 31046441 BACKGROUND

• Terada T, Pap R, Thomas A, Wei R, Noda T, Visintini S, Reed JL. Effects of muscle strength training combined with aerobic training versus aerobic training alone on cardiovascular disease risk indicators in patients with coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. Br J Sports Med. 2024 Oct 22;58(20):1225-1234. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108530.

  PMID: 39214675 BACKGROUND

• Kambic T, Sarabon N, Hadzic V, Lainscak M. Effects of high- and low-load resistance training in patients with coronary artery disease: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2022 Nov 8;29(15):e338-e342. doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwac063. No abstract available.

  PMID: 35512240 BACKGROUND

• Douglas J, Pearson S, Ross A, McGuigan M. Chronic Adaptations to Eccentric Training: A Systematic Review. Sports Med. 2017 May;47(5):917-941. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0628-4.

  PMID: 27647157 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Coronary Artery Disease, Autosomal Dominant, 1; Coronary Artery Disease

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Coronary Disease; Myocardial Ischemia; Heart Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Arteriosclerosis; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Vascular Diseases

Study Officials

• Borut Jug, MD, Ph.D.

  University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Neža Nograšek, MKin

CONTACT

+386 (0)40 283 959; neza.nograsek@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 8, 2025
• First Posted: January 21, 2026
• Study Start: September 26, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2026
• Last Updated: January 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SL (1)