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NCT Number: NCT07101341

Acute Effects of Aerobic Exercise and High-intensity Interval Exercise With Immersive Virtual Reality

This study aims to compare the acute effects at the cardiovascular (heart rate, blood pressure) and physiological (lactate) levels, as well as the perception of effort and fatigue, of four exercise modalities, one based on the traditional aerobic training methodology, another based on high-intensity interval training (HIIT), another consisting of aerobic exercise performed in conjunction with an immersive virtual reality (VR) application, and a last one consisting of exercise with HIIT-type parameters but also performed in conjunction with an immersive VR application.

All participants will complete one session of each of the four exercise modalities, analyzing the variables studied in each for subsequent analysis and comparison.

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Key information

Age range

18 year–35 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Faculty of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia

Valencia, 46010, Spain

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Adrian Escriche-Escuder, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+34 963 98 38 55

Adrian Escriche-Escuder, PhD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Alejandro J Roig-Fernández, MSc

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Luis Suso-Marti, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Rodrigo Martin-San Agustin, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Healthy people between 18 and 35 years old

Exclusion criteria

  • Current or recent injury that affects training
  • Condition that prevents exercise (decompensated heart disease, decompensated respiratory disease, significant mobility difficulties, etc.)
  • Visual problems that prevent exercise with virtual reality headsets

Treatment and study plan

Traditional aerobic training

Procedure

5 minutes of warm-up at increasing intensity up to 60% of maximum heart rate (HRmax) + 20 minutes between 60-80% of HRmax + 5 minutes of cool-down at decreasing intensity (30-60% HRmax)

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Procedure

5 minutes warm-up at increasing intensity up to 60% maximum heart rate (HRmax) + 20 minutes main part consisting of 10 repetitions of the combination of 1 minute at 75-90% HRmax and 2 minutes of active rest with light pedaling (50% HRmax) + 5 minutes cool-down at decreasing intensity (30-60% HRmax)

Aerobic training performed with a immersive virtual reality application

Procedure

5 minutes of warm-up at increasing intensity up to 60% Maximum heart rate (HRmax) + 20 minutes between 60-80% of HRmax + 5 minutes of cooling at decreasing intensity (30-60% HRmax), with the use of virtual reality glasses and an immersive virtual reality application

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) performed with a immersive virtual reality application

Procedure

5 minutes warm-up at increasing intensity up to 60% Maximum heart rate (HRmax) + 20 minutes main part consisting of 10 repetitions of the combination of 1 minute at 75-90% HRmax and 2 minutes of active rest with light pedaling (50% HRmax) + 5 minutes cool-down at decreasing intensity (30-60% HRmax), with the use of virtual reality glasses for an immersive virtual reality application

Primary outcomes

  1. Blood lactate

    Time frame: During the 5 minutes after finishing the exercise session of each intervention modality (Days 1, 8, 15 and 22 from the start of the study)

    Analysis of blood lactate concentration

Secondary outcomes

  1. Heart rate pattern

    Time frame: During each exercise session (Days 1, 8, 15 and 22 from the start of the study)

    Heart rate pattern, measured with a heart rate monitor

  2. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure

    Time frame: During the 5 minutes after finishing the exercise session of each intervention modality (Days 1, 8, 15 and 22 from the start of the study)

    Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, measured with a sphygmomanometer

  3. Perception of effort

    Time frame: During the first minute after finishing the exercise session of each intervention modality (Days 1, 8, 15 and 22 from the start of the study)

    Individual perception of effort during exercise, assessed with a modified Borg scale (0-10), where 0 is "no effort" and 10 corresponds to the "maximum possible perception of effort".

  4. Perception of fatigue

    Time frame: During the first minute after finishing the exercise session of each intervention modality (Days 1, 8, 15 and 22 from the start of the study)

    Individual perception of fatigue, with a numerical scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is "no fatigue" and 10 corresponds to the "maximum perception of fatigue possible"

  5. Physical performance

    Time frame: During the 5 minutes after finishing the exercise session of each intervention modality (Days 1, 8, 15 and 22 from the start of the study)

    Physical performance, assessed by calculating the sets, repetitions and kg mobilized during the exercise time.

Study contacts

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

Adrian Escriche-Escuder, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+34 963 98 38 55

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Valencia

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Analysis of the Acute Effects of Aerobic Exercise and High-intensity Interval Exercise, With and Without the Simultaneous Application of Immersive Virtual Reality

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Aug 3, 2025
Registry last updated
Jun 10, 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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