Effects of Polarized and Threshold Intensity Distribution Models on Race Time and Body Composition in Recreational Runners Aged 20-45 Years.

April 27, 2026 updated by: Jesus Giuliani Martinez Muñoz, Universidad Pedagogica Nacional, Colombia

Effects of Polarized and Threshold Intensity Distribution Models on Race Time and Body Composition in Recreational Runners Aged 20-45 Years: a Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aims to compare the effects of two intensity distribution training (TID) models-polarized and threshold-on 5-km race time and body composition in recreational runners aged 20 to 45 years. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups and will complete a 12-week structured training program. The primary outcome will be 5-km race time, while secondary outcomes will include changes in body composition. Assessments will be conducted before and after the intervention period.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This randomized controlled trial will investigate the effects of two different intensity distribution training (TID) models: polarized (POL) and threshold (THR), on race time and body composition in recreational runners.

A total of 40 participants aged between 20 and 45 years will be randomly assigned to either the POL group or the THR group. Both groups will complete a 12-week training intervention. The polarized model will emphasize a high volume of low-intensity training (Zone 1) with small amounts of high-intensity work (Zone 3), while the threshold model will include a greater proportion of training at moderate intensity (Zone 2).

The primary outcome will be 5-km race time measured in minutes/seconds. Secondary outcomes will include body composition variables such as body fat percentage and lean mass.

Assessments will be conducted at baseline and after the 12-week intervention. The study aims to determine whether polarized training produces superior improvements compared to threshold training in recreational runners.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

20

Phase

  • 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

  • Colombia
    • Bogota D.C.
      • Bogotá, Bogota D.C., Colombia, 110321
        • Colegio San Bartolome La Merced

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 20 and 45 years.
  • 1 to 3 years of experience.
  • Men's race time between 25:00 and 40:00.
  • Women's race time between 28:00 and 43:00.
  • Must reside in Bogotá or surrounding municipalities at an altitude of 2,640 meters above sea level.
  • Must have a GPS device.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having a chronic noncommunicable disease.
  • Smoking or drinking alcohol.
  • Having a musculoskeletal injury.
  • Failing to sign the informed consent form.
  • 10% attendance rate at training sessions.

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: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental
Other: Threshold intensity distribution model
Regarding the intervention, it will last 12 weeks, a period during which physiological adaptations to endurance training occur, as Neuman (1994) states with chronological cycles of 8 to 12 weeks. For the TID THR model, the intensity distribution was as follows: Zone 1 (50%), Zone 2 (40%), and Zone 3 (10%), The training periodization for the two TID models was designed using a 3:1 weekly block structure, meaning three weeks of training followed by one week of recovery. The weekly training frequency will consist of four running sessions, each including 10 minutes of running technique drills and two strength training sessions. The running sessions will have the same training volume across the three blocks, which span weeks 1-3, 5-7, and 9-11. The first week of each block will have a volume of 240 minutes, the second week 300 minutes, and the third week 360 minutes. Recovery weeks 4, 8, and 12 will have a volume of 180 minutes.
Active Comparator: Control
Other: Polarized intensity distribution model
Regarding the intervention, it will last 12 weeks, a period during which physiological adaptations to endurance training occur, as Neuman (1994) states with chronological cycles of 8 to 12 weeks. For the TID POL model, the intensity distribution was as follows: Zone 1 (80%), Zone 2 (5%), and Zone 3 (15%). The training periodization for the two TID models was designed using a 3:1 weekly block structure, meaning three weeks of training followed by one week of recovery. The weekly training frequency will consist of four running sessions, each including 10 minutes of running technique drills and two strength training sessions. The running sessions will have the same training volume across the three blocks, which span weeks 1-3, 5-7, and 9-11. The first week of each block will have a volume of 240 minutes, the second week 300 minutes, and the third week 360 minutes. Recovery weeks 4, 8, and 12 will have a volume of 180 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Primary Objective
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Outcome Measure: 5-km race time Description: Time to complete a 5-km run measured in minutes and seconds.
12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Secondary Objective
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Outcome Measure: Body composition Description: Body fat percentage and lean mass (Kgs) assessed using standardized methods
12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Universidad Pedagogica Nacional, Colombia

Investigators

  • Study Director: Eduar Ceballos, Universidad Pedagogica Nacional

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • Zinner, C. Schafer, D. and Sperlich, B. (2018). Mesocycles with Different Training Intensity Distribution in Recreational Runners. American College of Sports Medicine. 0195-9131/18/5008-1641/0.
  • Treff G, Winkert K, Sareban M,Steinacker JM and Sperlich B (2019). The Polarization Index: A SimpleCalculation to Distinguish Polarized From Non-Polarized Training IntensityDistributions. Front. Physiol. 10:707.doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00707.
  • Stöggl TL and Sperlich B (2015) The training intensity distribution among well-trained and elite endurance athletes. Front. Physiol. 6:295. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2015.00295
  • Stöggl T y Sperlich B (2014) Polarized training has greater impact on key endurance variables than threshold, high intensity, or high volume training.doi: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00033
  • Rosenblat M.A., Perrotta A.S. and Vicenzino B. (2018). Polarized vs. Threshold Training Intensity Distribution on Endurance Sport Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2018 May 30. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002618
  • Rosado. J, Duarte. J, Sousa-E-Silva. P, Costa. D, Martinho. D, Valente-Dos-Santos. J, Rama. L, Tavares, Ó. Conde, J. Castanheira, J. Soles-Gonçalves, R. Courteix, D. Coelho-E-Silva, M. (2020). Body composition among long distance runners. Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira, V 66. P. 180-186.
  • Knechtle. B, Tanous. DR, Wirnitzer. G, Leitzmann. C, Rosemann. T, Scheer, V. and Wirnitzer, K. (2021) Training and Racing Behavior of Recreational Runners by Race Distance-Results From the NURMI Study (Step 1). Front. Physiol. 12:620404. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.620404.
  • Kim, J., Young, B., & Song, S. (2018). Reliability and agreement of various InBody body composition analyzers (InBody-230, InBody-720, InBody-770) vs DEXA. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003374
  • Kim, H. J., Jung, H. W., Kim, M. J., Kim, D. H., Park, I., Ryu, J. K., & Jung, Y. (2022). Validation of a multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (InBody-770) for assessing body composition in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus compared to DXA. Journal of Diabetes Investigation, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/jdi.13967
  • Hottenrott, K. Ludyga, S. Schulze, S. (2012). Effects of high intensity training and continuous endurance training on aerobic capacity and body composition in recreationally active runners. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 11, 483-488.
  • Friedman, L. M., Furberg, C. D., DeMets, D. L., Reboussin, D. M., & Granger, C. B. (2015). Fundamentals of clinical trials (5th ed.). Springer.
  • Filipas, L. Bonato, M. Gallo, G. Codella, R. (2022). Effects of 16 weeks of pyramidal and polarized training intensity distributions in well-trained endurance runners. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports.
  • Festa. L, Tarperi. C, Skroce. K, La Torre. A, and Schena. F. (2020) Effects of Different Training Intensity Distribution in Recreational Runners. Front. Sports Act. Living 1:70. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2019.00070
  • Faude, O., Kindermann, W., & Meyer, T. (2009). Lactate threshold concepts: How valid are they? Sports Medicine, 39(6), 469-490. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200939060-00003
  • Boullosa. D, Esteve-Lanao. J, Casado. A, Peyré-Tartaruga. L, Da Rosa. R, Del Coso. J. (2020). Factors affecting training and physical performance in recreational endurance runners. sports. 8, 35; doi:10.3390/sports8030035
  • Bomba T. (2016). Periodización. Teoría y metodología del entrenamiento. Editorial Hispano Europea, S.A. ISBN:9788425514654, 8425514657 pg 91.
  • Bernal-Reyes, F., Peralta-Mendívil, A., Gavotto-Nogales, H. H., & Placencia-Camacho, L. (2014). Principios de entrenamiento deportivo para la mejora de las capacidades físicas. Biotecnia, 16(3), 42-49.
  • Cruz-González, J. Arboleda-Serna, V. (2022). Training intensity distribution on running time in amateur endurance runners: A scoping review. Revistade Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias de la Salud.4(2), 137-149. https://doi.org/10.46634/riics.136.
  • Cruz-Gonzalez, J. Castillo, C. Cardozo, L. Arboleda, V. (2024). Effects of polarized and pyramidal training, with or without mindfulness, on race time and performance in amateur runners: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Retos, 60, 1271-1278.
  • Muñoz Pérez, I. (2016). Métodos de cuantificación de la carga de entrenamiento en deportes de resistencia cíclica. Búsqueda, 3(16), 53-63. https://doi.org/10.21892/01239813.166 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0735-1097(00)01054-8 .
  • Tanaka, H., Monahan, K. D., & Seals, D. R. (2001). Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 37(1), 153-156.
  • Neumann, G. (1994). Fisiología del entrenamiento: teoría y práctica del entrenamiento (1.ª ed.). Barcelona, España: Paidotribo.

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)

March 16, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 27, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 5, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 27, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 340ETIC-020-2026

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

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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