Coherence Breathing Before Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing

NCT07650279 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: SP2645
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This randomized crossover trial will examine the acute effects of pre-exercise coherence breathing on cardiopulmonary exercise responses in recreationally active adults. Participants will complete two experimental conditions in randomized order: 5 minutes of guided coherence breathing and 5 minutes of quiet seated spontaneous breathing. Following each condition, participants will perform a standardized treadmill warm-up and a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test. Outcomes will include oxygen consumption, heart rate, heart rate recovery, perceived exertion, time to completion, and heart rate variability. The findings may help determine whether coherence breathing can serve as an effective autonomic priming strategy before a bout of maximal exercise

Conditions

Breathing Rate

Keywords

heart rate variability; breathing; exercise testing; heart rate recovery; warm-up; slow paced breathing

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Peak Oxygen consumption

  Peak oxygen consumption measured during the maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) using a portable metabolic analyzer (Vo2 Master)

  during each maximal exercise test immediately after the breathing condition

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• rating of perceived exertion (RPE)

  measured at baseline, during the exercise test and after recovery

• Heart Rate Recovery

  difference between peak HR during CPET and HR at minute 1, minute 2 and minute 5 of recovery.

• Time to completion of maximal exercise test

  during the exercise test

• Peak Heart Rate

  measured during the maximal exercise test

Study Arms (2)

Coherence Breathing

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants complete 5 minutes of guided coherence breathing

Behavioral: Coherence Breathing

Spontaneous Breathing

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants sit quietly for 5 minutes with spontaneous breathing

Behavioral: Spontaneous Breathing

Interventions

Coherence Breathing BEHAVIORAL

Participants complete 5 minutes of guided coherence breathing which consists or around 6 breathing cycles (5 seconds inhale and 5 seconds exhale)

Also known as: slow-paced breathing, resonance breathing

Coherence Breathing

Spontaneous Breathing BEHAVIORAL

Participants sit quietly for 5 minutes with their regular spontaneous breathing

Spontaneous Breathing

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years - 45 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Adults aged 19 to 45 years.
• Any biological sex.
• Recreationally active, defined as accumulating at least 3 hours per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
• Able to perform maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a treadmill.
• Able to provide informed consent.
• Cleared for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity based on the PAR-Q+ (or PAR-Q 2023).

You may not qualify if:

• Accumulate less than 3 hours per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
• Presence of a health condition that contraindicates maximal exercise testing, including:
• Cardiovascular disease. Pulmonary disease. Metabolic disorders. Neuromuscular disorders. Orthopedic limitations that impair exercise performance.
• Acute illness that would interfere with participation or exercise testing.
• Inability or unwillingness to complete study procedures.
• Inability or unwillingness to provide informed consent.
• Not cleared for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity based on the PAR-Q+ (or PAR-Q+ 2023).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Human Performance Lab of Monmouth University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Monmouth University Graduate Center, Human Performance Lab, Room 222

West Long Branch, New Jersey, 07764, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Trinkunas E, Kairiukstiene Z, Trinkunaite M, Poderiene K, Brazdzionyte R, Poderys J. Post-Exercise Controlled Breathing Enhances Cardiovascular Recovery and Autonomic Balance: A Randomised Crossover Study. Medicina (Kaunas). 2026 Feb 3;62(2):318. doi: 10.3390/medicina62020318.

  PMID: 41752717 BACKGROUND

• Laborde S, Allen MS, Borges U, Dosseville F, Hosang TJ, Iskra M, Mosley E, Salvotti C, Spolverato L, Zammit N, Javelle F. Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: A systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022 Jul;138:104711. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711. Epub 2022 May 24.

  PMID: 35623448 BACKGROUND

• Sevoz-Couche C, Laborde S. Heart rate variability and slow-paced breathing:when coherence meets resonance. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022 Apr;135:104576. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104576. Epub 2022 Feb 12.

  PMID: 35167847 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Respiratory Aspiration

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Respiration Disorders; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Central Study Contacts

Tamara Rial-Faigenbaum, PhD

CONTACT

2159878984; trialfai@monmouth.edu

Jaime Pigman, PhD

CONTACT

732-749-0160; jpigman@monmouth.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 10, 2026
• First Posted: June 16, 2026
• Study Start: June 11, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 6, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 6, 2026
• Last Updated: June 18, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)