Exercise Snacks and Muscular Fitness in Sedentary Young Women (ES)

July 2, 2026 updated by: Ziren Zhao, Chongqing Normal University

Effects of a 75-Minute Weekly Exercise Snack on Muscular Fitness in Sedentary Young Women

This randomized controlled study examined whether exercise snacks could improve skeletal muscle strength and related physical fitness in sedentary female university students. Eligible participants were sedentary women aged 18 to 25 years who were randomly assigned to an exercise snacks group, a regular exercise group, or a control group. The intervention lasted 8 weeks. The exercise snacks group accumulated short bouts of exercise across the day, while the regular exercise group completed more concentrated exercise sessions three times per week. The control group maintained their usual lifestyle. Muscle strength and related physical fitness were assessed before and after the intervention. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility, and safety of exercise snacks in a university setting.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Sedentary behavior is common among university students and may contribute to reduced physical fitness and lower skeletal muscle function. Exercise snacks are short bouts of physical activity performed repeatedly throughout the day and may offer a time-efficient strategy for interrupting prolonged sitting.

This single-center randomized controlled study was conducted at Chongqing Normal University. Sedentary female university students aged 18 to 25 years were screened for eligibility. Participants completed baseline assessments and were randomly allocated to an exercise snacks group, a regular exercise group, or a control group.

The intervention lasted 8 weeks. The exercise snacks group performed short exercise bouts distributed throughout the day, with a total weekly exercise volume of approximately 75 minutes. The regular exercise group performed exercise three times per week, with each session lasting approximately 25 minutes. Both intervention groups received exercise guidance, reminders, adherence monitoring, and ratings of perceived exertion through the Tizhiyun mobile application. The control group maintained their usual study and lifestyle routines without additional study-prescribed exercise.

Primary outcomes included isokinetic muscle strength, surface electromyography, and mid-thigh isometric pull performance. Secondary outcomes included standing long jump, knee push-ups, and bodyweight squats to exhaustion. Outcome assessments were conducted at baseline and after the 8-week intervention. Adherence, perceived exertion, and exercise-related adverse events were recorded during the study period.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

90

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

  • China
    • Chongqing Municipality
      • Chongqing, Chongqing Municipality, China, 401331
        • Chongqing Normal University

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:

  • Female university students aged 18 to 25 years.
  • Daily sedentary time of at least 8 hours, assessed using a sedentary behavior questionnaire.
  • No contraindications to exercise based on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire.
  • No regular exercise participation during the previous 3 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Clinical conditions that make participation in exercise inappropriate.
  • Substantial body weight fluctuation during the previous 3 months.
  • Hypertension, cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, or use of related medications.

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Exercise Snacks Group
Participants received the exercise snacks intervention for 8 weeks. Exercise was accumulated through short bouts distributed across the day, with a total weekly exercise volume of approximately 75 minutes. Participants completed approximately 11 minutes of exercise on weekdays and 10 minutes on weekends. Exercise guidance, reminders, adherence monitoring, and ratings of perceived exertion were provided through the Tizhiyun mobile application.
Behavioral: Exercise Snacks
Participants performed an 8-week exercise snacks program consisting of short bouts of physical activity distributed across the day. The program was performed 7 days per week, with approximately 75 minutes of exercise per week. Participants completed approximately 11 minutes of short exercise on weekdays and 10 minutes on weekends. Exercise guidance, reminders, adherence monitoring, and ratings of perceived exertion were provided through the Tizhiyun mobile application.
Active Comparator: Regular Exercise Group
Participants received a regular exercise intervention for 8 weeks. Exercise was completed three times per week, with each session lasting approximately 25 minutes.
Behavioral: Regular Exercise
Participants performed an 8-week regular exercise program. Exercise sessions were completed three times per week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with each session lasting approximately 25 minutes. Exercise guidance, reminders, adherence monitoring, and ratings of perceived exertion were provided through the Tizhiyun mobile application.
No Intervention: Usual Lifestyle Control Group
Participants maintained their usual study and lifestyle routines during the 8-week study period and did not receive additional study-prescribed exercise.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Isokinetic Muscle Strength
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Isokinetic muscle strength was assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer during standardized testing. Change from baseline to post-intervention was evaluated.
Baseline and Week 8
Surface Electromyography Activity
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Surface electromyographic activity was recorded during standardized muscle strength testing to evaluate neuromuscular activation.
Baseline and Week 8
Mid-Thigh Isometric Pull
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Maximal force generated during a standardized mid-thigh isometric pull test was assessed to evaluate whole-body isometric strength.
Baseline and Week 8

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Standing Long Jump
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
Standing long jump distance was assessed using a standardized test of lower-body explosive performance.
Baseline and Week 8
Knee Push-Ups
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
The number of correctly completed knee push-up repetitions was assessed using a standardized muscular endurance test.
Baseline and Week 8
Bodyweight Squats to Exhaustion
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 8
The number of correctly completed bodyweight squats performed to volitional exhaustion was assessed as an indicator of lower-body muscular endurance.
Baseline and Week 8

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Chongqing Normal University

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)

April 20, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 25, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

June 25, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 2, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 2, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CSK2026051

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data will not be shared outside the research team because the current informed consent and data management plans limit the use of participant data to this study and do not include external data sharing.

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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