Effects of Exercise Frequency on Muscle Size and Strength in Healthy, Untrained Young Adults (FREQ)

August 11, 2026 updated by: Cameron Mitchell
Resistance training (RT) is important for building and maintaining healthy muscles. An exercise frequency called "exercise snacks" involves short bursts of exercise throughout the day (~5-15 minutes), but no studies have examined a gym-based RT exercise snack program. The invetigators will randomize 40 participants into one of two groups for 10 weeks: the control group will complete two full-body workouts per week (standard-frequency) and the experimental group will complete 10 mini-workouts per week (high-frequency). Muscle hypertrophy (size) and strength will be measured before and after the exercise program to determine if the participants had the same or different results.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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 (Estimated)

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.
40

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

  • Canada
    • British Columbia
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z1
        • Recruiting
        • University of British Columbia | Gateway Health Building
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Haley Dennis, MSc

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:

  • Can fluently read and write in English
  • Lives, works, and/or studies at or near the Gateway Health Building (where all study visits will occur)
  • Willing and able to commit to 2 or 10 in-person training sessions per week for 10 continuous weeks, as well as one week of testing before the training period and one week of testing after the training period
  • Has continuous access to smartphone or other device that they can use to access the Technogym app
  • Answers "No" to all questions on the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology - Get Active Questonnaire (CSEP-GAQ) or has their doctor's approval to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any major uncontrolled cardiovascular, muscular, metabolic, and/or neurological disorders
  • Lung disease, kidney disease, or liver disease
  • Current diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or cancer
  • Medical conditions that limit their ability to undertake strenuous physical activity
  • Regular use of any medications that may affect muscle physiology or body composition (i.e. benzodiazepines, hormone replacement therapy, ADHD medication, Metformin, Ozempic)
  • Participated in consistent resistance exercise training more than twice per month in the previous 12 months
  • Participated in consistent moderate or vigorous aerobic training more than twice per week in the previous 12 months, or planning to start consistent training in the next few months
  • Significant gain or loss of body mass in the past 6 months (greater than 2 kg)
  • Current smoker (including but not limited to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or vaping)
  • Body Mass Index of less than 18 kg/m2 or over 30 kg/m2
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Currently taking blood thinners
  • Allergic to Tegaderm medical tape (used with the activity trackers)

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: Basic Science
  • 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.
Active Comparator: Standard-frequency resistance training
Behavioral: Two sessions per week of resistance training
Full-body resistance training consisting of 10 sets per week for all major muscle groups with progressive overload in a gym-based setting. Training at an exercise frequency of two sessions per week (around 45-60 minutes per session).
Experimental: High-frequency resistance training
Behavioral: 10 sessions per week of resistance training
Full-body resistance training consisting of 10 sets per week for all major muscle groups with progressive overload in a gym-based setting. Training at an exercise frequency of 10 brief sessions per week (around 8-12 minutes per session).

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
Time Frame
Change in Total Body Skeletal Muscle Mass Measured using the D3-Creatine Dilution Method
Time Frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Total Body Muscle Size Measured as Cross-sectional Area using Muscle Ultrasound Imaging
Time Frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Muscle ultrasound imaging will be conducted on one randomly selected side of the body (left or right) for each participant. Scans will be analyzed to determine the cross-sectional area of the following seven muscles: rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, biceps brachii, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, triceps brachii, and hamstring group (semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and long head of biceps femoris).
From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Change in Muscle Strength Measured as the One-Repetition Maximum of Back Squat and Bench Press
Time Frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
One-repetition maximums will be measured using a Quantum Synchro Smith Machine.
From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Change in Skeletal Muscle Power Measured at Various Relative Loads for Back Squat and Bench Press
Time Frame: From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
At enrolment (Week 1), power will be measured using a Quantum Synchro Smith Machine at 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% of the participant's initial one-repetition maximum (1RM) for back squat and bench press. At the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12), if a participant's 1RM has increased by less than 25%, power will be measured at the same relative loads. If a participant's 1RM has increased by 25-49%, power will be measured at 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% of the participant's initial 1RM (in this case, 90% of the participant's initial 1RM would not exceed 80% of the participant's post-training 1RM). If a participant's 1RM has increased by 50% or greater, power will be measured at 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% of the participant's initial 1RM (in this case, 100% of the participant's initial 1RM would not exceed 80% of the participant's post-training 1RM).
From enrolment (Week 1) to the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Participant Satisfaction with the Exercise Program
Time Frame: At the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)
Participant satisfaction with the exercise program will be measured using a modified Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (subscales of "Interest/Enjoyment", "Percieved Competence", "Effort/Importance", and "Value/Usefullness").
At the end of the exercise training phase (Week 12)

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.
Cameron Mitchell

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.
August 12, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
June 1, 2027

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).
August 7, 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.
August 7, 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.
August 12, 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.
August 13, 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.
August 11, 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.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • H26-01331

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The dataset will contain potentially identifying information (age, height, and weight) of people in a relatively small geographic area, so individual participant data will not be shared with other researchers.

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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