NCT Number: NCT07738640
This study will examine the effects of two 8-week endurance training programs on 5-km running performance in recreational runners. Participants will be randomly assigned to a lactate threshold training group, a pyramidal-to-polarized endurance training group, or a control group that maintains usual physical activity without receiving the study training program.
Before and after the intervention, participants will complete assessments of 5-km running performance, aerobic fitness, lactate threshold, running economy, blood lactate responses, and brain activity recorded before and after maximal exercise. The study will compare changes among the three groups and examine whether physiological and post-exercise neural responses are associated with improvements in running performance.
The main purpose is to determine whether the two training programs produce different improvements in 5-km running performance and to better understand the physiological and neural adaptations associated with endurance training in recreational runners.
Trial opening soon.
Get Notified18 year–25 year
All sexes
Interventional
Not applicable
Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes
Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.
Inclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria
Participants will complete an 8-week individualized endurance training program prescribed primarily around the lactate threshold. Training intensity will be determined from baseline physiological testing. The program will specify the frequency, duration, and intensity of each training session and will be adjusted according to the study protocol.
Participants will complete an 8-week individualized endurance training program in which the training-intensity distribution progresses from a pyramidal pattern during the initial phase to a polarized pattern during the later phase. Training intensity will be prescribed using individually determined physiological thresholds obtained from baseline testing. The program will include low-, moderate-, and high-intensity running sessions, with the relative distribution of training time across intensity zones adjusted according to the planned periodization. Training frequency, session duration, and intensity will be standardized according to the study protocol and monitored throughout the intervention.
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 8-week intervention
5-km running performance will be assessed using a maximal-effort self-paced 5-km run conducted on a standard 400-m outdoor athletics track. Completion time will be recorded in seconds. The primary outcome will be the change in 5-km completion time from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention. A lower completion time indicates better running performance.
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 8-week intervention
Maximal oxygen uptake will be assessed during a graded cardiopulmonary exercise test performed to volitional exhaustion. Oxygen uptake will be measured breath-by-breath and expressed relative to body mass in milliliters per kilogram per minute. The outcome will be the change in maximal oxygen uptake from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention.
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 8-week intervention
Lactate threshold will be determined during an incremental running test using blood lactate measurements and the prespecified threshold-identification method described in the study protocol. The outcome will be the change in running speed or physiological intensity corresponding to the lactate threshold from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention.
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 8-week intervention
Running economy will be assessed during steady-state submaximal treadmill running at a standardized speed. Oxygen uptake will be measured during the steady-state period and expressed relative to body mass. The outcome will be the change in oxygen cost of running from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention. A lower oxygen cost at the same running speed indicates better running economy.
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 8-week intervention, with measurements before exercise and at 5 and 20 minutes after exercise
Capillary blood lactate concentration will be measured at prespecified time points before and after maximal exercise. The outcome will include changes in post-exercise blood lactate concentration and lactate recovery from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention. Blood lactate concentration will be expressed in millimoles per liter.
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 8-week intervention, with electroencephalographic recordings before exercise and at 5 and 20 minutes after exercise
Resting electroencephalographic activity will be recorded before maximal exercise and during recovery after exercise. Prespecified electroencephalographic outcomes will include relative spectral power in selected frequency bands and cortical regions. The outcome will be the change in post-exercise electroencephalographic responses from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention.
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 8-week intervention, with recordings before exercise and at 5 and 20 minutes after maximal exercise
Event-related potentials will be recorded during prespecified cognitive tasks before and after the 8-week intervention. Prespecified outcomes will include the amplitude and latency of selected ERP components, including N2 and P3 components, at predefined scalp regions and task conditions. The outcome will be the change in ERP amplitude and latency from baseline to the end of the intervention, as well as changes in the acute ERP response from before to after maximal exercise.
Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.
Shuqi Jia
Other
Effects of Lactate Threshold Training and Pyramidal-to-Polarized Endurance Training on 5-km Running Performance, Physiological Capacity, and Post-exercise Neural Responses in Recreational Runners: A Randomized Controlled Trial
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