Decremental Exercise: a New Training Approach?

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology55 enrolled

Overview

Different types of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions are used by athletes in order to improve their physical performance, but innovative approaches to training are lacking. Therefore, in Part A of this study the physiological response to a standard HIIT and a new decremental exercise training (DECT) will be compared in runners and cyclists. Next, in Part B the training effects of a 4-week block of the HIIT and DECT will be compared.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Exercise Performance of Fit Athletes

Interventions

DECTOTHER

The DECT program consists of a 4-week training intervention with three weekly sessions of high-intensity interval training, in which during each exercise bout the workload is imposed in a decremental fashion.

HIITOTHER

The HIIT program consists of a 4-week training intervention with three weekly sessions of high-intensity interval training, in which during each exercise bout the workload is kept constant.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 40 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Age: 18-40 years * Healthy, i.e. normal physical and mental status (not taking any medication on a regular basis for more than a month, except contraceptive medication) * Normal Body-Mass-Index (BMI): 18.5-24.9 kg·m-2 * Well-trained athletes: V̇O2max \> 55.1 ml·min-1·kg-1 for men and \> 50.1 ml·min-1·kg-1 for women * Normal lung function * Non-smoking * Willing to adhere to the general study rules Exclusion Criteria: * Women who are pregnant or breast feeding * Intention to become pregnant during the course of the study * Known or suspected non-compliance, drug or alcohol abuse * Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g. due to language problems, psychological disorders, dementia, etc. of the participant * Previous enrolment into the same part (A or B) of the current study * Enrolment of the investigator, his/her family members, employees and other dependent persons * Acute or chronic illness * Intake of medications affecting performance or the respiratory, cardiovascular or neuromuscular system * Insufficient training history (\<3 yrs of participation in competitive cycling/running) or training volume (\<40 km running/week or 150 km cycling/week) in the previous 6 months * Recent (\<3 months) history of orthopaedic injury or participation in structured high-intensity training blocks

Locations (1)

Exercise Physiology Lab, Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zurich

Zurich, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in exercise performance

Time taken to cover a fixed distance, in minutes

Time frame: measured before and after the 4-week training block, during a time-trial (40 km cycling or 10 km running)

Secondary Outcomes

Change in maximal oxygen uptake

Measured in ml/kg/min

Time frame: Measured during a maximal incremental exercise test before and after the 4-week training block

Average oxygen uptake

Average oxygen uptake measured during the four 4-min bouts of high-intensity exercise of a session of HIIT and DECT

Time frame: The two training session are performed within one week

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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