Combined Training (Strength and Endurance) and the Serum Levels of Myostatin and Hormone-sensitive Lipase in Overweight and Obese Men

June 14, 2026 updated by: Arya Habibi

Effect of Upper Body and Lower Body Combined Training (Strength and Endurance) on the Serum Levels of Myostatin and Hormone-sensitive Lipase in Overweight and Obese Men

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of upper body-based and lower body-based combined training on serum levels of myostatin (MSTN) and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) in overweight and obese men. Myostatin is a myokine involved in the regulation of skeletal muscle growth and adipose tissue metabolism, while HSL is a key enzyme involved in lipolysis and fat mobilization.

Thirty-six overweight and obese men were assigned to either an upper body combined training group, a lower body combined training group, or a non-exercising control group. The intervention consisted of 10 weeks of combined resistance and aerobic training performed three times per week. Serum levels of MSTN and HSL were measured before and after the intervention to determine whether upper body-focused and lower body-focused combined training produce different effects on markers associated with muscle growth and lipid metabolism.

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.

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.
36

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 Locations

  • Iran
    • Tehran Province
      • Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
        • Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences of the University of Tehran

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:

  • Male participants aged 20 to 45 years.
  • Body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m².
  • Overweight or obese status.
  • No participation in regular resistance or aerobic exercise during the previous 6 months.
  • Willingness to participate and provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of metabolic diseases, including diabetes mellitus.
  • Presence of cardiovascular or respiratory diseases.
  • Musculoskeletal or joint injuries that could interfere with exercise participation.
  • Use of anti-obesity medications.
  • Use of anabolic steroids, sports supplements, or fat-burning supplements.
  • Regular alcohol consumption or tobacco use.
  • Absence from more than two training sessions during the intervention period.
  • Withdrawal of consent or unwillingness to continue participation.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Upper Body Combined Training
Participants completed a 10-week upper body-focused combined training program three times per week. Each session consisted of upper body resistance exercises followed by aerobic exercise performed on a hand ergometer. Resistance training included chest press, rowing machine, biceps curl, triceps extension, shoulder press, and abdominal exercises.
Behavioral: Upper Body Combined Training
Participants completed a 10-week upper body-focused combined training program performed three times per week. Each session included six upper body resistance exercises (chest press, rowing machine, biceps curl, triceps extension, shoulder press, and abdominal machine exercises) followed by aerobic exercise on a hand ergometer. Resistance training was performed for 3 sets during the first 5 weeks and 4 sets during weeks 6-10, with 8-12 repetitions per set. Aerobic exercise began at 20 minutes and increased by 1 minute each week, reaching 29 minutes in the final week. Exercise intensity was maintained at approximately 57-66% of maximum heart rate during aerobic training.
Other Names:
  • Upper Body Resistance and Aerobic Training
Experimental: Lower Body Combined Training
Participants completed a 10-week lower body-focused combined training program three times per week. Each session consisted of lower body resistance exercises followed by aerobic exercise performed on a leg ergometer. Resistance training included leg press, leg extension, leg flexion, leg abduction, leg adduction, and calf raise exercises.
Behavioral: Lower Body Combined Training
Participants completed a 10-week lower body-focused combined training program performed three times per week. Each session included six lower body resistance exercises (leg press, leg extension, leg flexion, leg abduction, leg adduction, and calf raise exercises) followed by aerobic exercise on a leg ergometer. Resistance training was performed for 3 sets during the first 5 weeks and 4 sets during weeks 6-10, with 8-12 repetitions per set. Aerobic exercise began at 20 minutes and increased by 1 minute each week, reaching 29 minutes in the final week. Exercise intensity was maintained at approximately 57-66% of maximum heart rate during aerobic training.
Other Names:
  • Lower Body Resistance and Aerobic Training
No Intervention: Control
Participants in the control group did not participate in the exercise intervention and were instructed to maintain their usual daily activities throughout the 10-week study period.

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
Change in serum myostatin (MSTN) concentration
Time Frame: Baseline and 10 weeks
Serum myostatin concentration measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The outcome was assessed before the intervention and 48 hours after completion of the 10-week training program.
Baseline and 10 weeks
Change in serum hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) concentration
Time Frame: Baseline and 10 weeks
Serum hormone-sensitive lipase concentration measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The outcome was assessed before the intervention and 48 hours after completion of the 10-week training program.
Baseline and 10 weeks

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.
Arya Habibi

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.
May 1, 2024

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.
May 1, 2024

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.
December 15, 2024

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).
June 14, 2026

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.
June 14, 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.
June 18, 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.
June 18, 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.
June 14, 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.
June 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.
  • IR.UT.SPORT.REC.1403.064

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be made publicly available. The study was not originally designed with a formal data-sharing plan, and participant-level data contain information that could potentially compromise participant confidentiality.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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