NCT07498608

Brief Summary

This study aims to compare the effects of two intensity distribution training (TID) models-polarized and threshold-on 5-km race time and body composition in recreational runners aged 20 to 45 years. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups and will complete a 12-week structured training program. The primary outcome will be 5-km race time, while secondary outcomes will include changes in body composition. Assessments will be conducted before and after the intervention period.

Trial Health

55
Monitor

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
20

participants targeted

Target at below P25 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Mar 2026

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
enrolling by invitation

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 16, 2026

Completed
1 day until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

March 17, 2026

Completed
10 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

March 27, 2026

Completed
1 month until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

April 27, 2026

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 5, 2026

Completed
Last Updated

May 1, 2026

Status Verified

March 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

1 month

First QC Date

March 17, 2026

Last Update Submit

April 27, 2026

Conditions

Physical ActivityPhysical Activity IntensityPhysical Activity in AdultsRunning PerformanceRunning EnduranceRunning

Keywords

Recreational runningtraining intensity distribution (TID)polarizedthresholdRunning

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Primary Objective

    Outcome Measure: 5-km race time Description: Time to complete a 5-km run measured in minutes and seconds.

    12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Secondary Objective

    12 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Control

ACTIVE COMPARATOR
Other: Polarized intensity distribution model

Experimental

EXPERIMENTAL
Other: Threshold intensity distribution model

Interventions

Polarized intensity distribution modelOTHER

Regarding the intervention, it will last 12 weeks, a period during which physiological adaptations to endurance training occur, as Neuman (1994) states with chronological cycles of 8 to 12 weeks. For the TID POL model, the intensity distribution was as follows: Zone 1 (80%), Zone 2 (5%), and Zone 3 (15%). The training periodization for the two TID models was designed using a 3:1 weekly block structure, meaning three weeks of training followed by one week of recovery. The weekly training frequency will consist of four running sessions, each including 10 minutes of running technique drills and two strength training sessions. The running sessions will have the same training volume across the three blocks, which span weeks 1-3, 5-7, and 9-11. The first week of each block will have a volume of 240 minutes, the second week 300 minutes, and the third week 360 minutes. Recovery weeks 4, 8, and 12 will have a volume of 180 minutes.

Control
Threshold intensity distribution modelOTHER

Regarding the intervention, it will last 12 weeks, a period during which physiological adaptations to endurance training occur, as Neuman (1994) states with chronological cycles of 8 to 12 weeks. For the TID THR model, the intensity distribution was as follows: Zone 1 (50%), Zone 2 (40%), and Zone 3 (10%), The training periodization for the two TID models was designed using a 3:1 weekly block structure, meaning three weeks of training followed by one week of recovery. The weekly training frequency will consist of four running sessions, each including 10 minutes of running technique drills and two strength training sessions. The running sessions will have the same training volume across the three blocks, which span weeks 1-3, 5-7, and 9-11. The first week of each block will have a volume of 240 minutes, the second week 300 minutes, and the third week 360 minutes. Recovery weeks 4, 8, and 12 will have a volume of 180 minutes.

Experimental

Eligibility Criteria

Age20 Years - 45 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Age between 20 and 45 years.
  • to 3 years of experience.
  • Men's race time between 25:00 and 40:00.
  • Women's race time between 28:00 and 43:00.
  • Must reside in Bogotá or surrounding municipalities at an altitude of 2,640 meters above sea level.
  • Must have a GPS device.

You may not qualify if:

  • Having a chronic noncommunicable disease.
  • Smoking or drinking alcohol.
  • Having a musculoskeletal injury.
  • Failing to sign the informed consent form.
  • % attendance rate at training sessions.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Colegio San Bartolome La Merced

Bogotá, Bogota D.C., 110321, Colombia

Location

Related Publications (22)

  • Zinner, C. Schafer, D. and Sperlich, B. (2018). Mesocycles with Different Training Intensity Distribution in Recreational Runners. American College of Sports Medicine. 0195-9131/18/5008-1641/0.

    BACKGROUND

  • Treff G, Winkert K, Sareban M,Steinacker JM and Sperlich B (2019). The Polarization Index: A SimpleCalculation to Distinguish Polarized From Non-Polarized Training IntensityDistributions. Front. Physiol. 10:707.doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00707.

    BACKGROUND

  • Stöggl TL and Sperlich B (2015) The training intensity distribution among well-trained and elite endurance athletes. Front. Physiol. 6:295. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2015.00295

    BACKGROUND

  • Stöggl T y Sperlich B (2014) Polarized training has greater impact on key endurance variables than threshold, high intensity, or high volume training.doi: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00033

    BACKGROUND

  • Rosenblat M.A., Perrotta A.S. and Vicenzino B. (2018). Polarized vs. Threshold Training Intensity Distribution on Endurance Sport Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2018 May 30. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002618

    BACKGROUND

  • Rosado. J, Duarte. J, Sousa-E-Silva. P, Costa. D, Martinho. D, Valente-Dos-Santos. J, Rama. L, Tavares, Ó. Conde, J. Castanheira, J. Soles-Gonçalves, R. Courteix, D. Coelho-E-Silva, M. (2020). Body composition among long distance runners. Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira, V 66. P. 180-186.

    BACKGROUND

  • Knechtle. B, Tanous. DR, Wirnitzer. G, Leitzmann. C, Rosemann. T, Scheer, V. and Wirnitzer, K. (2021) Training and Racing Behavior of Recreational Runners by Race Distance-Results From the NURMI Study (Step 1). Front. Physiol. 12:620404. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.620404.

    BACKGROUND

  • Kim, J., Young, B., & Song, S. (2018). Reliability and agreement of various InBody body composition analyzers (InBody-230, InBody-720, InBody-770) vs DEXA. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003374

    BACKGROUND

  • Kim, H. J., Jung, H. W., Kim, M. J., Kim, D. H., Park, I., Ryu, J. K., & Jung, Y. (2022). Validation of a multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (InBody-770) for assessing body composition in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus compared to DXA. Journal of Diabetes Investigation, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/jdi.13967

    BACKGROUND

  • Hottenrott, K. Ludyga, S. Schulze, S. (2012). Effects of high intensity training and continuous endurance training on aerobic capacity and body composition in recreationally active runners. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 11, 483-488.

    BACKGROUND

  • Friedman, L. M., Furberg, C. D., DeMets, D. L., Reboussin, D. M., & Granger, C. B. (2015). Fundamentals of clinical trials (5th ed.). Springer.

    BACKGROUND

  • Filipas, L. Bonato, M. Gallo, G. Codella, R. (2022). Effects of 16 weeks of pyramidal and polarized training intensity distributions in well-trained endurance runners. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports.

    BACKGROUND

  • Festa. L, Tarperi. C, Skroce. K, La Torre. A, and Schena. F. (2020) Effects of Different Training Intensity Distribution in Recreational Runners. Front. Sports Act. Living 1:70. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2019.00070

    BACKGROUND

  • Faude, O., Kindermann, W., & Meyer, T. (2009). Lactate threshold concepts: How valid are they? Sports Medicine, 39(6), 469-490. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200939060-00003

    BACKGROUND

  • Boullosa. D, Esteve-Lanao. J, Casado. A, Peyré-Tartaruga. L, Da Rosa. R, Del Coso. J. (2020). Factors affecting training and physical performance in recreational endurance runners. sports. 8, 35; doi:10.3390/sports8030035

    BACKGROUND

  • Bomba T. (2016). Periodización. Teoría y metodología del entrenamiento. Editorial Hispano Europea, S.A. ISBN:9788425514654, 8425514657 pg 91.

    BACKGROUND

  • Bernal-Reyes, F., Peralta-Mendívil, A., Gavotto-Nogales, H. H., & Placencia-Camacho, L. (2014). Principios de entrenamiento deportivo para la mejora de las capacidades físicas. Biotecnia, 16(3), 42-49.

    BACKGROUND

  • Cruz-González, J. Arboleda-Serna, V. (2022). Training intensity distribution on running time in amateur endurance runners: A scoping review. Revistade Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias de la Salud.4(2), 137-149. https://doi.org/10.46634/riics.136.

    BACKGROUND

  • Cruz-Gonzalez, J. Castillo, C. Cardozo, L. Arboleda, V. (2024). Effects of polarized and pyramidal training, with or without mindfulness, on race time and performance in amateur runners: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Retos, 60, 1271-1278.

    BACKGROUND

  • Muñoz Pérez, I. (2016). Métodos de cuantificación de la carga de entrenamiento en deportes de resistencia cíclica. Búsqueda, 3(16), 53-63. https://doi.org/10.21892/01239813.166 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0735-1097(00)01054-8 .

    BACKGROUND

  • Tanaka, H., Monahan, K. D., & Seals, D. R. (2001). Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 37(1), 153-156.

    BACKGROUND

  • Neumann, G. (1994). Fisiología del entrenamiento: teoría y práctica del entrenamiento (1.ª ed.). Barcelona, España: Paidotribo.

    BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

  • Eduar Ceballos

    Universidad Pedagogica Nacional

    STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
Purpose
BASIC SCIENCE
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Principal investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

March 17, 2026

First Posted

March 27, 2026

Study Start

March 16, 2026

Primary Completion

April 27, 2026

Study Completion

July 5, 2026

Last Updated

May 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations

CO(1)