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

NCT07760597 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: H26-01331
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Healthy Adult Male and Female Volunteers

Keywords

Exerise Snacks; Exercise Frequency; Resistance Training; Muscle Strength; Skeletal Muscle Enlargement; Exercise

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

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

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

Secondary Outcomes (4)

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Participant Satisfaction with the Exercise Program

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

Study Arms (2)

Standard-frequency resistance training

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Behavioral: Two sessions per week of resistance training

High-frequency resistance training

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: 10 sessions per week of resistance training

Interventions

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).

High-frequency resistance training

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).

Standard-frequency resistance training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years - 39 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• 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
• Answers "No" to all questions on the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology - Get Active Questonnaire (CSEP-GAQ) or has their doctor's approval to participate

You may not qualify if:

• 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
• Regular use of any medications that may affect muscle physiology or body composition (i.e. benzodiazepines, hormone replacement therapy, ADHD medication, Metformin, Ozempic)
• Participated in consistent resistance exercise training more than twice per month in the previous 12 months
• Participated in consistent moderate or vigorous aerobic training more than twice per week in the previous 12 months, or planning to start consistent training in the next few months
• Significant gain or loss of body mass in the past 6 months (greater than 2 kg)
• Current smoker (including but not limited to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or vaping)
• Body Mass Index of less than 18 kg/m2 or over 30 kg/m2
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Currently taking blood thinners
• Allergic to Tegaderm medical tape (used with the activity trackers)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Cameron Mitchell: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of British Columbia | Gateway Health Building

Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z1, Canada

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Cameron Mitchell, PhD

CONTACT

604-827-2072; cameron.mitchell@ubc.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: The person conducting the analysis for cross-sectional area of the muscle ultrasound images will be blinded to participant identity and participant group assignment during this analysis.
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: At the beginning of the study, participants are assigned to one of two groups for the duration of the study.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 7, 2026
• First Posted: August 12, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Last Updated: August 12, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)