NCT03275779

Investigating the Role of Resistance Exercise Frequency in the Regulation of Skeletal Muscle Mass

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 9 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Birmingham · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 18 Years – 35 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study will investigate whether manipulating resistance exercise frequency impacts muscle protein synthesis rates. The investigators will test the hypothesise that a higher resistance exercise frequency will result in greater muscle protein synthesis rates than a lower resistance exercise frequency.

Detailed description

Resistance exercise is currently the most effective means of building or maintaining muscle mass. Resistance exercise guidelines generally suggest that those looking to increase muscle mass should train each muscle group once to twice per week. However, it has been proposed that it may be of greater benefit to train a muscle group with a higher frequency (i.e., four to six times per week) than currently suggested. If true, completing the same total volume of resistance exercise in more frequent, smaller bouts could prove to be a more beneficial strategy to optimally build or maintain muscle mass. Therefore, this study will investigate whether manipulating resistance exercise frequency impacts cumulative muscle protein synthesis rates in young individuals. Participants will undergo a 7 day period of habitual activity before completing the same total volume of resistance exercise as either; i) one isolated bout (low frequency) or ii) five smaller bouts (high frequency) over a period of 7 days.

Conditions

• Physical Activity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Low Frequency Condition	Young, untrained participants complete 7 days of habitual physical activity followed by a 7 day period where participants complete a single bout of unilateral resistance exercise.
BEHAVIORAL	High Frequency Condition	Young, untrained participants complete 7 days of habitual physical activity followed by a 7 day period where participants complete the same total volume of resistance exercise as the low frequency condition as five smaller bouts of unilateral resistance exercise.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-01-01
• Primary completion: 2018-12-01
• Completion: 2018-12-01
• First posted: 2017-09-08
• Last updated: 2023-01-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom