Acute Effects of Structured Exercise and Static Stretching on Vascular Function, Neuromuscular Performance, and Metabolic Regulation in Adults

NCT07364149 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 353/2025
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 27
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This experimental study investigates the acute cardiovascular and vascular responses to a single session of resistance training, with and without additional static stretching, compared with a resting control condition. Participants are allocated to one of three groups (control, resistance training, resistance training plus static stretching) and assessed at baseline, immediately after the session, and 30 minutes post-exercise. Primary outcomes include blood pressure and other hemodynamic or functional measures, in order to explore the short-term impact of these exercise modalities on cardiovascular regulation.

Conditions

Resistance Training Adaptation; Static Stretching; Healthy; Healthy Participants; Healthy Subjects (HS); Stretch

Keywords

stretching; static stretching; Resistance training; Resistance exercise; tissue stiffness; blood pressure; Flow Mediated Dilation; heart rate variability; Oxygenation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Flow Mediated Dilation(FMD%)

  Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) will be assessed using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound (Esaote MyLab X1 GO, linear transducer) during a standardized forearm cuff occlusion protocol. Baseline diameter will be recorded for 60 seconds prior to cuff deflation. Reactive hyperemia will be induced by 5-minutes arterial occlusion followed by cuff release, with continuous diameter recording for 3 minutes post-deflation to identify peak diameter.

  3 times (Baseline, immediately after intervantion and 30 minutes after intervention) for each condition (CC, RT, RT+ST)

Study Arms (3)

RT

EXPERIMENTAL

Resistance Training

Other: Resistance Training

RT+SS

EXPERIMENTAL

Resistance training + Static stretching

Other: Resistance training + Static Stretching

CC

NO INTERVENTION

Control Condition --\> participants sat silently on a chair without performing any train

Interventions

Resistance Training OTHER

Participants assigned to this group will complete a single supervised upper body resistance training session. The protocol includes bench presses and bicep curls performed at 80% of the individual's 1-rep max, for 4 sets of 8 reps, with standardized rest intervals between sets of 2 minutes. The total duration of the session is approximately 20-30 minutes and does not include any additional static stretching beyond the standardized warm-up.

RT

Resistance training + Static Stretching OTHER

Participants assigned to this group will complete a single supervised upper body resistance training session. The protocol includes bench presses and bicep curls performed at 80% of the individual's 1-rep max, for 4 sets of 8 reps, with standardized rest intervals between sets of 2 minutes. The total duration of the session is approximately 20-25 minutes .Immediately after the resistance exercises, they will complete a structured static stretching protocol targeting the trained muscle groups (pectoralis and elbow flexors), with each stretch held for about 30 seconds and repeated for several sets. The additional stretching lasts 12 minutes, for a total session duration of about 35-40 minutes.

RT+SS

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 55 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• healthy male participants ≥ 18 years old

You may not qualify if:

• orthopedic disorders
• neurological disorders
• metabolic disorders
• cardovascular disorders

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Palermo: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Palermo

Palermo, 90144, Italy

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Resistance Training; Muscle Stretching Exercises

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Exercise Therapy; Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Physical Conditioning, Human; Exercise; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Ewan Thomas, Associate Professor in Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 24, 2025
• First Posted: January 23, 2026
• Study Start: December 15, 2025
• Primary Completion: March 10, 2026
• Study Completion: March 10, 2026
• Last Updated: April 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

IT (1)