Use of Resistive Exercise Snacks to Improve Upper Body Fitness in Graduate Students
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 尚未招募
- 入组人数
- 50
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Maximal Upper Body Push Strength
研究概览
简要总结
This study will examine the effects of an upper-body resistance "exercise snack" (ES) protocol on upper-body strength, endurance, and power. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: a submaximal effort repeated throughout the exercise day ES group, a maximal effort performed once per exercise day ES group, and a control group that continues usual activity (Control: no resistance exercise). Both exercise groups will perform two exercises, push-ups and planks, three days per week. The submaximal repeated effort ES group (SMR_ES) will perform approximately 33% of the maximal number of push-ups and maintain a plank position for 33% of maximal time, three times per day. The maximal once-per-day effort ES group (MO_ES) will perform the maximal number of push-ups and maintain a plank position for maximal time, once per day. Therefore, both ES groups (SMR_ES and MO_ES) will perform the same weekly volume (repetitions and time) of both exercises across the six-week intervention period.
Before and after the six-week intervention period, all participants will undergo testing to assess upper-body performance. Outcome measures will include push-up endurance (maximum repetitions), plank endurance (maximum time), push-up power (assessed using force plates), and maximal push strength (assessed using hand-held dynamometry). Pre- and post-intervention changes in outcomes will be compared among all three groups. If significant changes are identified, additional comparisons will be conducted between the SMR_ES and Control groups, as well as between the SMR_ES and MO_ES groups.
The primary aim of this study is to determine whether repeated submaximal efforts performed three times per day, three days per week, increase upper-body endurance, power, and strength compared to a control group performing no resistance exercise. The secondary aim is to determine whether submaximal efforts performed three times per day, three days per week, produce changes in upper-body strength, endurance, and power that are not different from maximal efforts performed once per day, three days per week. These aims address whether exercise distribution influences strength and power adaptations beyond total weekly volume. The findings may help inform time-efficient, lower subjective-effort resistance training strategies that can be implemented in educational, athletic, or general fitness settings.
详细描述
The academic demands imposed on graduate students present a barrier to performing regular resistive exercise and promote a sedentary lifestyle, which can lead to losses in upper-body strength, power, and endurance.
There are many causes of loss of lean body mass (LBM) in the general population. Decreases in strength and LBM typically begin between thirty and forty years of age and progress at a rate of 3-10% per decade. After the age of 70, the rate of LBM loss and strength decline accelerates to approximately 3% per year. These changes may be attributed to immobilization, loss of appetite, muscular dystrophies, chronic disease, aging, and sedentary behavior. By age 65, difficulty with dressing, transferring, walking, and toileting occurs at rates between 14% and 17%. By age 75, the incidence of difficulty increases to between 20% and 27%, and by age 85, difficulty with dressing, bathing, walking, toileting, and transferring increases to between 26% and 36%. Decreases in LBM and strength are strong indicators of negative health outcomes and represent one of the primary contributors to sarcopenia, alongside anorexia, dehydration, and cachexia. Loss of LBM combined with obesity further increases the risk of developing type II diabetes due to the role of skeletal muscle in glycemic control. Reductions in LBM also negatively affect bone density and metabolic rate.
Resistance training is one of the most effective interventions for improving physical performance and long-term health across the lifespan. Resistance training enhances muscular strength, endurance, and neuromuscular control, all of which are essential for optimal movement, joint stability, and performance of daily functional activities. Resistance exercise stimulates muscle hypertrophy, improves motor unit recruitment, increases LBM, and supports metabolic health through improved insulin sensitivity and elevated resting metabolic rate.
In older adults, resistance training increases muscle mass, strength, and power, while reducing difficulty performing daily activities and supporting independence with aging. Moderate-intensity, short-term resistance training significantly improves insulin sensitivity and HbA1c levels in older adults. In older women, resistance training reduces age-related declines in cortical bone health and bone mineral density of the hip and spine. Resistance training also reduces mild to severe depressive symptoms, thereby improving quality of life across age groups.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), American Heart Association (AHA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and National Health Service (NHS) recommend performing resistance exercises at least twice per week for all major muscle groups, including the legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms. These exercises are generally recommended at moderate intensity, characterized by muscular fatigue after completing 12-15 repetitions.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Basic Science
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 20 Years 至 35 Years（Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Healthy, as determined by self-reported health history
- •Enrolled as a college or university student (full-time or part-time)
- •Not currently participating in a structured upper-body resistance training program
- •No participation in upper-body resistance training (e.g., weightlifting, calisthenics, CrossFit, bodyweight strength programs) for ≥ 3 months prior to study enrollment
- •Willing and able to perform maximal and submaximal push-up and plank exercises
- •Willing to refrain from initiating any new upper-body resistance training during the study period
- •Able to provide written informed consent
排除标准
- •Current participation in an upper-body resistance training program or engagement in upper-body strength training within the past 3 months
- •History of upper extremity, shoulder, elbow, wrist, or trunk injury within the past 6 months that could limit exercise performance
- •History of neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic, or musculoskeletal disorders that contraindicate resistance exercise
- •Current pain or discomfort in the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, neck, or low back during pushing or plank activities
- •Previous surgery to the upper extremities or spine within the past 12 months
- •Use of medications that may significantly affect muscle performance, fatigue, or neuromuscular function
- •Pregnancy or suspected pregnancy
- •Any condition deemed by the investigators to pose an increased risk during maximal or repeated resistance exercise
研究组 & 干预措施
A submaximal repeated effort exercise snack (SMR_ES)
The SMR_ES group will perform approximately 33% of their individual number of maximal push-up and maximal plank time, three times per day, three days per week.
干预措施: Submaximal Repeated Exercise Snack (Behavioral)
A maximal effort one-time exercise snack (MO_ES)
The MO_ES group will perform the maximal number of push-ups and hold a plank position for their maximal time, once per day, three days per week.
干预措施: Maximal One-Time Exercise Snack (Behavioral)
Control group
Continues usual activity with no upper body resistive exercise.
结局指标
主要结局
Maximal Upper Body Push Strength
时间窗: Change from baseline after 6 weeks
Upper-body muscular strength will be assessed using a hand-held dynamometer during a standardized pushing task. Participants will push a barbell upward against an immovable strap connected to a pull dynamometer. Peak force output (Newtons) will be recorded.
Push-Up Endurance (Repetitions)
时间窗: Change from baseline after 6 weeks.
Upper-body muscular endurance will be assessed by the maximum number of push-ups completed using standardized form criteria.
Plank Endurance (Seconds)
时间窗: Change from baseline after 6 weeks
Core and upper-body endurance will be assessed by the maximum duration (seconds) participants can maintain a standardized plank position.
次要结局
- Upper-Body Power - Peak Force (Newtons)(Change from baseline after 6 weeks.)
- Upper-Body Power - Time to Task Completion (Seconds)(Change from baseline after 6 weeks)
研究者
Alexander Rothstein
Assistant Professor
New York Institute of Technology