High-intensity Interval Training Combined with Muscle-strength Training in Older Women

NCT ID: NCT06825130

Last Updated: 2025-02-13

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 20 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-02-01
• Study Completion Date: 2026-12-31

Brief Summary

Women generally live longer than men but often experience a faster muscle mass loss due to inactivity, which can lead to weakness and disability. Despite these risks, women, particularly older women, are less active than men. In England, less than one-third of women engage in sufficient aerobic activity, and less than 5% do enough muscle strength training. Common reasons for not exercising include lack of time and enjoyment.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an efficient and effective way to exercise that many women find more enjoyable than longer workouts. HIIT has been shown to be effective in older women, helping them improve their fitness with less time commitment. Because HIIT is time-efficient, it can be combined with muscle strength training without significantly increasing the duration of the exercise session, which may lead to even better fitness results.

This study will assess how practical it is for older women to do HIIT and strength exercise combined training. It will also investigate whether this combined approach can improve overall fitness, muscle strength, aerobic fitness, and quality of life more than HIIT alone.

Conditions

Older Adult

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

aerobic training + muscle strength training

3 days/week -- 3-min warm up at 60% of HR@VT2 on a bike ergometer -- 6 x 1-min machine-base muscle strength exercises: leg press, chest press, knee extension, lat pull down, knee flexion, and shoulder raise -- 6 x 1-min high-intensity interval bouts at 80% HR@VT2 interspersed by 1-min active recovery will be performed.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Exercise

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants will attend 30-min training sessions 3 times a week for 12 weeks. The intensity of HIIT will be at 80% HR@VT2 measured in the first week and will increase to 90% in the second week. By week 3, the intensity will reach HR@VT2.

aerobic training

3 days/week -- 3-min warm up at 60% of HR@VT2 on a bike ergometer -- 2 blocks of 6 x 1-min high-intensity interval bouts at 70% HR@VT2 interspersed by 1-min active recovery

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Exercise

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants will attend 30-min training sessions 3 times a week for 12 weeks. The intensity of HIIT will be at 80% HR@VT2 measured in the first week and will increase to 90% in the second week. By week 3, the intensity will reach HR@VT2.

Interventions

Exercise

Participants will attend 30-min training sessions 3 times a week for 12 weeks. The intensity of HIIT will be at 80% HR@VT2 measured in the first week and will increase to 90% in the second week. By week 3, the intensity will reach HR@VT2.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Females (biologically at birth)
• At least 60 years of age at the time of signing the informed consent
• Non-smoker, including electronic cigarettes
• Not participating in routine high-intensity aerobic or muscle strength exercise training (≥ 75 min/week of structured vigorous aerobic exercise, or 2 times /week of structured muscle strength training)
• Able to perform a cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) to exhaustion
• willing to complete baseline and follow-up measures, and attend prescribed exercise sessions at the University of Nottingham
• willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study

Exclusion Criteria

• Diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, obstructive pulmonary disease, or uncontrolled hypertension
• History or current neurological or psychiatric illness, or motor or cognitive restrictions
• Contraindications to symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), including resting hypertension with systolic blood pressure >200 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure > 110 mmHg, uncorrected medical conditions, such as significant anemia, important electrolyte imbalance, and hyperthyroidism, mental impairment with limited ability to cooperate, physical disability that precludes safe and adequate testing.
• Having taken part in a research study in the last 3 months involving invasive procedures or an inconvenience allowance.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 60 Years
• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Nottingham

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Tasuku Terada

Dr

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

David Greenfield Humnn Physiology Unit (DGHPU), University of Nottingham

Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United Kingdom

Central Contacts

Tasuku Terada, PhD

Role: CONTACT

tasuku.terada@nottingham.ac.uk

441158230141

Facility Contacts

Tasuku Terada, PhD

Role: primary

tasuku.terada@nottingham.ac.uk

Other Identifiers

FMHS 34-1124

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id