NCT07161648

Use of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to Prevent Exercise Resistance

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Colorado State University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The study will find out if 100 minutes of electrical stimulation of muscle prevents the unfavorable consequence of insufficient exercise.

Detailed description

Exercise resistance is characterized by the absence of exercise induced improvements in fat metabolism following a meal, and results from prolonged sedentary behavior between successive workouts (i.e. 2+ sedentary days between exercise bouts). The suggested energy expenditure threshold for avoiding exercise resistance is the equivalent of walking \~8,500 steps/day. However, population data indicate that the typical adult in the US only walks 5,000 steps/day (i.e. 3,500 steps below the threshold). Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) evokes skeletal muscle contractions and increases energy expenditure. The hypothesis to be explored in this current proposal is: NMES will prevent exercise resistance. The plan is to induce exercise resistance via short-term abstention from activity other than exercise, and then on a separate occasion, use NMES to prevent exercise resistance (i.e. the short-term abstention from exercise will be "replaced" with NMES).

Conditions

• Fat Metabolism

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	neuromuscular electrical stimulation	The study participants will engage in 100-minutes of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). NMES pads are sticky pieces of plastic, similar in size to a 25-cent coin. The pads will be placed on the bellies of thigh muscles (the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis), and calf muscles (the long and short head of the gastrocnemius). These skeletal muscles are selected due to their size (thereby promoting a bigger increase for metabolic rate compared with a small muscle), because they are relatively superficial, and because previous published studies of NMES used these anatomical locations.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-10-17
• Primary completion: 2026-09-30
• Completion: 2026-09-30
• First posted: 2025-09-08
• Last updated: 2025-11-14

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States