Home-based REsistance vs a Home-based FLEXbility Exercise Programmes on Muscular Endurance and Flexibility in Adults (REFLEX)

Effect of a Home-based REsistance Exercise vs a Home-based FLEXbility Exercise Programme on Muscular Endurance and Flexibility in Healthy Adults

This study will evaluate the effects of a home-based resistance exercise programme v/s a home-based flexibility exercise programme on muscular endurance and flexibility on healthy adults. Half of the participants will undergo a 12-weeks home-based resistance exercise programme while the other half will undergo a 12-week home-based flexibility exercise programme.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Exercise
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Flexibility exercise programme; Behavioral: Resistance exercise programme

Detailed Description

Regular resistance training can lead to a variety of health benefits including increases in muscle size and strength, reductions on body fat, increased metabolic rate, glycaemic control, decreased blood pressure and improved blood lipid profiles. Because of this, current physical activity guidelines recommend undertaking muscle strengthening activities involving major muscle groups two days a week or more, alongside at least 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity (or 75 minutes per week of vigorous intensity physical activity). However, only small portion of the population achieves the muscle strengthening aspect of the guidelines.

Why participation in muscle-strengthening exercise is low is not clear but people identify several barriers including the lack of time, the effort involved, lack of purpose, pain due to injury, negative experiences of prescriptive exercise, apathy, illness, injury inclement weather and work commitment. In addition, some women have expressed a worry of looking 'manly' or 'bulking up' if they undertake resistance exercise. A further potential barrier is lack of access to a gym with appropriate equipment to perform resistance exercise, or dislike of a gym setting. Thus, identifying approaches to find a safe, enjoyable and accessible programme that minimises the burden of performing resistance exercise, and identifying a minimal amount of resistance training which can provide benefits is a key issue which could help more people to undertake muscle strengthening exercises.

Meta-analyses indicate that while performing resistance exercise two or more times per week of resistance exercise per muscle group appears to be optimal to maximise strength gains, a single set of resistance exercise per muscle group per week, if performed to failure is sufficient to induce substantial strength changes.

The main aim of this study is to compare the effects of an app-based home-based resistance exercise programme vs a home-based flexibility programme on muscular endurance (number of press-ups, time achieved in half-squat test, and time achieved in plank test, assessed online during a zoom call) and flexibility (sit and reach, assessed online during a zoom call) in healthy adults. Secondary aims are a) to determine participants' adherence to both exercise programmes, b) to determine participants' choice of weekly exercise volume (compared to minimum prescription) in both exercise programmes c) to determine participants' distribution of exercise throughout the week in both exercise programmes d) to determine the effects of a exercise programmes on well-being, and finally e) to determine participants' perceptions, feelings, thoughts, enjoyment, tolerance and acceptability of both exercise programmes.

The study is a randomized control trial in which the flexibility exercise group will undergo a 12-week home-based flexibility exercise programme. The resistance exercise group will undergo a 12-week home-based resistance exercise programme. Participants will be asked to perform a minimum amount of resistance or flexibility exercise of 1 set/week for each of six exercises and will have the opportunity to increase their volume of exercise to 2 sets or 3 sets/week per exercise if it is their choice. In addition, participants will be able to distribute the exercises during the week according to their preference (all in one day or spread over several days of the week, etc.). Participants will be encouraged to have a minimum of one day of rest per week.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 72
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Maria Fernanda Gabler, MSc; Phone Number: 7615 0141 330; Email: m.gabler-trisotti.1@research.gla.ac.uk

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Glasgow, United Kingdom, G12 8TA
    • Recruiting
    • University of Glasgow
    • Contact: Maria Fernanda Gabler Trisotti, MSc; Phone Number: 7615 0141 330; Email: m.gabler-trisotti.1@research.gla.ac.uk
    • Sub-Investigator: Maria Fernanda Gabler Trisotti, MSc

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 64 years (ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18-64 years old.
• Perform 30 minutes or more of aerobic vigorous physical activity per week.
• Do not to perform any kind of resistance exercise.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Failure of the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire Plus (PAR-Q+)
• Perform 30 minutes or more of vigorous intensity exercise from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)
• To have a job that compromises manual labour
• History of cardiovascular disease
• Diabetes
• Any other illness that would prevent the participation in a resistance exercise or flexibility exercise programme.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: SINGLE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Flexibility exercise group; Participants will be asked to follow a 12-week flexibility exercise training programme. Participants will be asked to perform a minimum amount of flexibility exercise of 1 set/week for each of six exercises and will have the opportunity to increase their volume of exercise to 2 sets or 3 sets/week per exercise if it is their choice. Participants will perform 6 flexibility exercises per week (2 different for legs, 1 shoulder and arms, 1 chest, 1 back and 1 core). Passive static stretching exercises will be performed.	Behavioral: Flexibility exercise programme; Static passive flexibility exercises.
EXPERIMENTAL: Resistance exercise group; Participants will be asked to follow a 12-week home-based exercise programme. Participants will be asked to perform a minimum amount of resistance exercise of 1 set/week for each of six exercises and will have the opportunity to increase their volume of exercise to 2 sets or 3 sets/week per exercise if it is their choice. Participants in the resistance exercise group will be asked to perform a total of 6 exercises per week (2 different leg exercises, 1 shoulder exercise, 1 chest exercise, 1 back exercise and 1 core exercise). Body weight and resistance bands exercises will be used. Participants will be asked to perform each set to complete as many repetitions as possible until fatigue.	Behavioral: Resistance exercise programme; Body weight and resistance bands exercises.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of press ups	Change in number of press ups	0 -12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of press-ups	Change in the number of press ups	0-6 weeks
Number of press-ups	Change in the number of press ups	6-12 weeks
Time holding half-squat position	Change in the time holding half squat position	0-12 weeks
Time holding half-squat position	Change in the time holding half squat position	0-6 weeks
Time holding half-squat position	Change in the time holding half squat position	6-12 weeks
Time holding plank position	Change in the time holding plank position	0-12 weeks
Time holding plank position	Change in the time holding plank position	0-6 weeks
Time holding plank position	Change in the time holding plank position	6-12 weeks
Distance achieved in the sit-and-reach test	Change in distance achieved in the sit-and-reach test	0-12 weeks
Distance achieved in the sit-and-reach test	Change in distance achieved in the sit-and-reach test	0-6 weeks
Distance achieved in the sit-and-reach test	Change in distance achieved in the sit-and-reach test	6-12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Glasgow

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): December 6, 2020
• Primary Completion (ANTICIPATED): December 31, 2021
• Study Completion (ANTICIPATED): December 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 28, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 28, 2020
• First Posted (ACTUAL): October 5, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): August 20, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 19, 2021
• Last Verified: August 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: physical activity; muscle strength; strength training; resistance training; muscle endurance; voluntary failure; muscular fitness
• Other Study ID Numbers: 200190188

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No