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Enrolling by Invitation

NCT Number: NCT07692815

Sex-difference in Response to Resistance Exercise and Training

Sex-Difference in Response to Resistance Exercise and Training

Given the importance of muscular strength for athletic performance as well as for daily activities in the general population-including clinical populations-and the lack of data in both men and women, the aim of this study is to compare neuromuscular, intramuscular, and systemic adaptations in men and women in response to both acute and chronic resistance exercise.

Specifically, the investigators will test the hypotheses that:

the neuromuscular response to resistance exercise, including corticospinal excitability and motor unit activation patterns, differs between men and women; the hormonal response and exosome release following resistance exercise are reduced in women compared to men.

Participants (n = 15 per group) will follow a supervised resistance training program for 8 weeks. Neuromuscular function of the knee extensor muscles, body composition, intramuscular adaptations, as well as blood profiles (hormonal and metabolic) and exosomes will be assessed before and after a single resistance exercise session and after the training period. This protocol will allow determination of both the acute and long-term effects of resistance exercise.

Women's participation in sports is increasing, yet research in this area remains very limited. This project aims to better understand the mechanisms by which resistance training-a non-pharmacological and low-cost strategy-may induce different adaptations in men and women, and, where appropriate, to contribute to the development of sex-specific recommendations to maximize the health benefits of resistance training.

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Key information

Conditions

Male Female Healthy Adult

Age range

18 year–40 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Faculté des sciences de la motricité, Pl. Pierre de Coubertin 1

Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Men and women aged between 18 and 40 years;
  • eumenorrheic women or under contraceptive (hormonal and non-hormonal).

Exclusion criteria

  • Regular resistance exercise (≥2x/week);
  • Any contraindication to exercise;
  • Protein/creatine supplement intake;
  • Pregnancy;
  • Epilepsy;
  • Head implant.

Treatment and study plan

Resistance exercise on a leg extension machine

Device

Supervised resistance exercise consisting exclusively of knee extension exercise on a leg extension machine. Acute exercise included 6 sets of 10 repetitions at 80% of one-repetition maximum (1RM).

Resistance training on a leg extension machine

Device

Supervised resistance training consisting exclusively of knee extension exercise on a leg extension machine. Chronic exercise included 6 sets of 10 repetitions at 80% of one-repetition maximum (1RM). The program was carried out over 8 weeks (3x/week).

Blood samples

Procedure

Blood samples were taken from the antecubital vein before and immediately after an acute resistance exercise session, and after the chronic resistance training period.

Vastus lateralis biopsy

Procedure

Biopsy were taken in the vastus lateralis before and immediately after an acute resistance exercise session, and after the chronic resistance training period.

Body composition analysis

Diagnostic Test

Body composition analysis using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) before and after the chronic resistance training period.

One repetition maximum (1-RM)

Diagnostic Test

One repetition maximum (1-RM) assessment before, after 4 weeks of training and at the end the chronic resistance training period.

Muscle thickness of the vastus lateralis

Diagnostic Test

Muscle thickness of the vastus lateralis assessed by ultrasonography before and after the chronic resistance training period.

Primary outcomes

  1. Sex differences in protein expression of muscle mass regulation pathways assessed by western blot

    Time frame: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 11 months

    Assessment of protein of expression muscle mass regulation pathways after acute exercise and chronic exercise using western blot (ratio of target protein to reference protein)

  2. Sex differences in mRNA levels in muscle mass regulation pathways assessed by RT-qPCR

    Time frame: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 11 months

    Assessment of mRNA levels of muscle mass regulation pathways after acute exercise and chronic exercise usin RT-qPCR (fold change).

  3. Sex differences in metabolic status assessed by blood biomarkers

    Time frame: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 11 months

    Assessment of metabolic blood parameters before and after acute exercise and chronic resistance training.

  4. Sex differences in hormonal status assessed by blood biomarkers

    Time frame: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 11 months

    Assessment of hormonal blood parameters before and after acute exercise and chronic resistance training.

  5. Sex differences in extracellular vesicles regulation assessed by nanoparticle tracking analysis

    Time frame: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 11 months

    Assessment of the concentration and size of circulating extracellular vesicles after acute exercise and chronic exercise using nanoparticle tracking analysis.

  6. Sex differences in extracellular vesicles regulation assessed by proteomic analysis

    Time frame: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 11 months

    Assessment of protein expression of circulating extracellular vesicles after acute exercise and chronic exercise using proteomic analysis

Secondary outcomes

  1. Sex differences in body composition assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)

    Time frame: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 11 months

    Comparison of fat mass and lean mass between men and women before and after the chronic resistance training.

  2. Sex differences in muscle thickness of the vastus lateralis assessed by ultrasonography

    Time frame: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 11 months

    Comparison of vastus lateralis muscle thickness between men and women before and after the chronic resistance training.

  3. Sex differences in strength evolution assessed by one-repetition maximum (1-RM)

    Time frame: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 11 months

    Comparison of maximal strength evolution between men and women before and after the chronic resistance training.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Université Catholique de Louvain

Other

Collaborators

  • University of Lausanne
  • Université Clermont-Auvergne, France

Registry information

Acronym: WOMENRESIST S1

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jul 9, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 9, 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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