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NCT Number: NCT07760597

Effects of Exercise Frequency on Muscle Size and Strength in Healthy, Untrained Young Adults

Resistance training (RT) is important for building and maintaining healthy muscles. An exercise frequency called "exercise snacks" involves short bursts of exercise throughout the day (~5-15 minutes), but no studies have examined a gym-based RT exercise snack program. The invetigators will randomize 40 participants into one of two groups for 10 weeks: the control group will complete two full-body workouts per week (standard-frequency) and the experimental group will complete 10 mini-workouts per week (high-frequency). Muscle hypertrophy (size) and strength will be measured before and after the exercise program to determine if the participants had the same or different results.

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy Adult Male and Female Volunteers Behavior Motor Activity

Age range

19 year–39 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of British Columbia | Gateway Health Building

Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z1, Canada

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Cameron Mitchell, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

604-827-2072

Haley Dennis, MSc

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

CONTACT

[email protected]

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Can fluently read and write in English
  • Lives, works, and/or studies at or near the Gateway Health Building (where all study visits will occur)
  • Willing and able to commit to 2 or 10 in-person training sessions per week for 10 continuous weeks, as well as one week of testing before the training period and one week of testing after the training period
  • Has continuous access to smartphone or other device that they can use to access the Technogym app
  • Answers "No" to all questions on the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology - Get Active Questonnaire (CSEP-GAQ) or has their doctor's approval to participate

Exclusion criteria

  • Any major uncontrolled cardiovascular, muscular, metabolic, and/or neurological disorders
  • Lung disease, kidney disease, or liver disease
  • Current diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or cancer
  • Medical conditions that limit their ability to undertake strenuous physical activity
  • Regular use of any medications that may affect muscle physiology or body composition (i.e. benzodiazepines, hormone replacement therapy, ADHD medication, Metformin, Ozempic)
  • Participated in consistent resistance exercise training more than twice per month in the previous 12 months
  • Participated in consistent moderate or vigorous aerobic training more than twice per week in the previous 12 months, or planning to start consistent training in the next few months
  • Significant gain or loss of body mass in the past 6 months (greater than 2 kg)
  • Current smoker (including but not limited to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or vaping)
  • Body Mass Index of less than 18 kg/m2 or over 30 kg/m2
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Currently taking blood thinners
  • Allergic to Tegaderm medical tape (used with the activity trackers)

Treatment and study plan

10 sessions per week of resistance training

Behavioral

Full-body resistance training consisting of 10 sets per week for all major muscle groups with progressive overload in a gym-based setting. Training at an exercise frequency of 10 brief sessions per week (around 8-12 minutes per session).

Two sessions per week of resistance training

Behavioral

Full-body resistance training consisting of 10 sets per week for all major muscle groups with progressive overload in a gym-based setting. Training at an exercise frequency of two sessions per week (around 45-60 minutes per session).

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Total Body Skeletal Muscle Mass Measured using the D3-Creatine Dilution Method

    Time frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Total Body Muscle Size Measured as Cross-sectional Area using Muscle Ultrasound Imaging

    Time frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)

    Muscle ultrasound imaging will be conducted on one randomly selected side of the body (left or right) for each participant. Scans will be analyzed to determine the cross-sectional area of the following seven muscles: rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, biceps brachii, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, triceps brachii, and hamstring group (semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and long head of biceps femoris).

  2. Change in Muscle Strength Measured as the One-Repetition Maximum of Back Squat and Bench Press

    Time frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)

    One-repetition maximums will be measured using a Quantum Synchro Smith Machine.

  3. Change in Skeletal Muscle Power Measured at Various Relative Loads for Back Squat and Bench Press

    Time frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)

    At enrolment (Week 1), power will be measured using a Quantum Synchro Smith Machine at 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% of the participant's initial one-repetition maximum (1RM) for back squat and bench press. At the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12), if a participant's 1RM has increased by less than 25%, power will be measured at the same relative loads. If a participant's 1RM has increased by 25-49%, power will be measured at 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% of the participant's initial 1RM (in this case, 90% of the participant's initial 1RM would not exceed 80% of the participant's post-training 1RM). If a participant's 1RM has increased by 50% or greater, power will be measured at 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% of the participant's initial 1RM (in this case, 100% of the participant's initial 1RM would not exceed 80% of the participant's post-training 1RM).

  4. Participant Satisfaction with the Exercise Program

    Time frame: At the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)

    Participant satisfaction with the exercise program will be measured using a modified Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (subscales of "Interest/Enjoyment", "Percieved Competence", "Effort/Importance", and "Value/Usefullness").

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Cameron Mitchell, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

604-827-2072

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Cameron Mitchell

Other

Registry information

Acronym: FREQ

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Aug 12, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 13, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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