Adding Mini-squat Exercises to Leg Press Exercise on Quadriceps and Hamstring Strength and H:Q Ratio in Athletes

March 25, 2026 updated by: Nasr Awad Abdelkader Othman, Cairo University

Effect of Adding Mini-squat Exercises at Different Angles to Leg Press Exercise on Quadriceps and Hamstring Strength and H:Q Ratio in Athletes

This study will try to answer the following question:

Will adding mini-squat exercises at different angles (30°,45°, and 60°) to leg press exercise influence quadriceps and hamstring strength and H:Q angle in football players?

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of exercise selection and angle specificity in resistance training, showing that different knee angles result in varied activation patterns in the quadriceps and hamstrings. However, current literature offers limited insight into the effects of integrating mini squat exercises with leg press training on injury prevention and functional outcomes in athletic populations. In particular, there is a lack of literature on how such a combined leg press and mini squat exercise at different angles influences the H:Q ratio, lower limb neuromuscular control, and performance in young male football players. Therefore, the present study aims to examine whether incorporating mini squats performed at varying knee flexion angles into a leg press training program can improve muscle balance and lower limb strength in football players. The findings may provide valuable guidance for physiotherapists, coaches, and sports scientists in developing evidence-based, angle-specific exercise protocols tailored to the functional demands of athletes.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Saudi Arabia
      • Jizan, Saudi Arabia
        • Jazan University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Male football players aged between 18-30 years (Scoz et al., 2021).
  2. Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m² (Walsh et al., 2018 & Sattar& Lean, 2009).
  3. Currently training or playing with a registered football club/team.
  4. Hamstring-to-Quadriceps (HQ) strength ratio of ≥ 0.6 (Çelebi et al., 2018).
  5. Having no oral or injectable non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), 2weeks before starting study.
  6. Having no oral injectable corticosteroids 3 months before starting the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. History of acute or chronic injury to the knee, hip, or ankle joint
  2. Undergoing any other rehabilitation or physical therapy programs during the six weeks before starting the study
  3. Diagnosed with neurological or systemic disorders affecting muscle function or balance
  4. Participation in competitive sports or high-intensity training outside the study protocol during the study period
  5. Presence of any contraindication to exercise, such as uncontrolled hypertension or heart conditions.
  6. Clinically free from lower limb injuries.
  7. Having no history of neurological, cardiovascular, or musculoskeletal disorders.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Group A (mini-squat at 30° knee flexion and leg press)
Fifteen participants will receive mini-squat exercises at 30° knee flexion and leg press exercises
Procedure: mini-squat exercises at 30°
mini-squat exercises at 30° knee flexion and leg press exercises
Active Comparator: Group B (mini-squat at 45° knee flexion and leg press)
Fifteen participants will receive mini-squat exercises at 45° knee flexion and leg press exercises
Procedure: mini-squat exercises at 45°
mini-squat exercises at 45° knee flexion and leg press exercises
Active Comparator: Group C (mini-squat at 60° knee flexion and leg press)
Fifteen participants will receive mini-squat exercises at 60°and leg press exercises
Procedure: mini-squat exercises at 60°
mini-squat exercises at 60°and leg press exercises
Placebo Comparator: Group D (Control group: leg press exercise program only)
Fifteen participants will receive leg press exercise program only.
Procedure: leg press exercise
leg press exercise program only

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Measurement of quadriceps strength
Time Frame: 1.5 months
  • The participant will be seated on the isokinetic dynamometer chair, with proper posture and alignment ensured.
  • The lateral femoral epicondyle (the anatomical axis of the knee joint) will be aligned with the mechanical axis of the dynamometer arm.
  • The lever arm of the dynamometer will be securely attached to the participant's lower leg, just above the ankle, using a padded cuff.
  • The participant will be instructed to perform maximal knee extension against the resistance of the device, moving from a flexed to an extended position.
  • The test will be conducted unilaterally, assessing one leg at a time.
  • The participant will be encouraged to exert maximal effort during each repetition.
  • The isokinetic device will record key outcome measures including peak torque (Nm), average power, and total work for each repetition. These values will be used to quantify quadriceps strength.
1.5 months
Measurement of hamstrings muscle strength
Time Frame: 1.5 months
All previously described quadriceps muscle evaluation procedures will be applied for the hamstrings muscle strength test; however, the range of motion will be set from full knee extension, and the participant will be instructed to actively bend the knee against the resistance of the device to 90°
1.5 months
Hamstring to quadriceps H:Q ratio calculation
Time Frame: 1.5 months
The H-Q ratio refers to the relative strength of the hamstring muscles compared to the quadriceps, typically measured under isokinetic conditions (at the same angular velocity). It is calculated as the maximal concentric knee flexion strength divided by maximal concentric knee extension strength.
1.5 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Cairo University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Prof.Dr.Nasr Abdelkader, Cairo Univesity

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 2, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 3, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 3, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 31, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 25, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • P.T.REC/012/006017

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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