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Effects of Different Timing of Bodyweight High-intensity Exercise on Human Behaviours

Effects of Bodyweight High-intensity Exercise at Different Times of Day on 72-hour Eating Behaviours and Physical Activity in Physically Inactive Adults

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06966414
Enrollment
20
Registered
2025-05-11
Start date
2025-04-30
Completion date
2026-04-24
Last updated
2025-05-11

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Physical Activity, Energy Intake, Sedentary Behavior

Keywords

Timing of exercise, Morning exercise, Evening exercise, Behavioural compensation

Brief summary

The purpose of this project is to investigate the effects of exercise at different times of day on 72-hour eating behaviour, physical activity and sedentary behaviour in physically inactive adults.

Detailed description

Eligibility and Consent Confirmation: Prior to the one-week preliminary test, participants will undergo eligibility screening, including measurements of height, weight, and body composition. After the researchers will provide a detailed explanation of the experimental procedures, participants can decide whether to participate in the study. Eligible participants will complete a set of high-intensity bodyweight exercise to familiarize themselves with the exercise. Subsequently, the researchers will explain the use of pedometers and distributed dietary record forms. During a one-week preliminary test, participants will be instructed to record their physical activity levels measured in steps, sleep duration including wake-up and sleep times, and dietary behaviours through photographs taken (2 weekdays and 1 weekend day) over a period of 7 consecutive days. Participants will be allowed to take part in this study, once they meet the inclusion criteria: 1) an average daily step count of less than 7,500 over the course of the week and 2) a wake-up time no later than 11:00 AM). Exercise intervention: Two main trials will be separated by at least one week - exercise in the morning (08:00 to 11:00 AM) or exercise in the evening (18:00 to 21:00 PM). In both trials, participants will complete the first Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for subjective appetite upon waking, wear a pedometer and an accelerometer, and record energy intake and physical activity over a 3-day period (the day before exercise intervention, the exercise day and the day after exercise intervention). Upon arrival at the laboratory, participants will complete the second VAS, followed by a 15-minute waiting period before commencing the exercise. Participants will perform high-intensity bodyweight exercise (3 sets with 8 exercises with a cycle of 30 seconds exercise and 30 seconds rest), followed by a 15-minute rest period, after which they will complete the third VAS. Heart rate and Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) will be measured regularly during exercise. Energy balance (e.g., energy intake and spontaneous physical activity) will be assessed using a food diary, Actigraph wGT3x-BT accelerometer (Actigraph Co., Ltd., Pensacola, FL, USA), and pedometer (Realalt, Goldhat Ltd., UK), which will be worn starting from the night two days before the experiment and removed after waking up two days post-experiment.

Interventions

Participants performed bodyweight exercise in the morning between 08:00 to 11:00 AM.

Participants performed bodyweight exercise in the morning between 18:00 to 21:00 PM.

Sponsors

National Taiwan Normal University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to 50 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Aged between 20 and 50 years, with a BMI ranging from 19 to 27 kg/m². * Classified as having low physical activity levels (750 Metabolic Equivalents / week) according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). * Engaged in moderate-intensity exercise for no more than 3 days per week and less than 30 minutes per session in the 3 months preceding the study. * Maintained a stable body weight (± 3 kg) during the 3 months prior to the main experiment. * Not taking any medications, supplements, or vitamins that might affect food intake, appetite, physical activity, weight loss, or metabolism. * Free from cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. * Not pregnant or planning to become pregnant. * Not currently on a diet or undergoing any specific dietary interventions (e.g., intermittent fasting, ketogenic diet). * No injuries or surgical wounds preventing physical activity. * Regular sleep patterns, averaging 7-9 hours per night, with no shift work. * No habits of heavy alcohol consumption or smoking.

Exclusion criteria

* Personal history of/existing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease or dyslipidaemia. * Taking medications that may influence lipid or carbohydrate metabolism or immune system function. * Unable to take part in exercise for any reason (e.g., injury or disability) or a positive response to any questions on the Physical Activity Readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Physical activity72 hours (24 hours before exercise day, exercise day and 24 hours after exercise day)Changes in physical activity intensity (minutes and percentage during 72 hours) and levels (minutes and percentage during 72 hours) between trials
Energy intake72 hours (24 hours before exercise day, 24 hours during exercise day and 24 hours after exercise day)Changes in total and macronutrient energy intake between trials
Sedentary behaviour72 hours (24 hours before exercise day, exercise day and 24 hours after exercise day)Changes in sedentary behaviour (minutes and percentage during 72 hours) between trials

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Heart RateDuring 45 minutes exerciseChanges in heart rate (bmp) during exercise between trials
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE)During 45 minutes exerciseChanges in Rating of Perceived Exertion using Borg 6-20 scale (6 indicates no exertion and 20 indicates maximal effort) during exercise between trials
Visual analogue scale (VAS)Baseline upon wake up, 15 minutes before exercise and 15 minutes after exerciseChanges in Visual analogue scale (Mood and appetite) using 0-100 mm scale (0 indicates not at all and 100 indicates very much) during exercise between trials

Countries

Taiwan

Contacts

Primary ContactYung-Chih Chen, PhD
yc.chen@ntnu.edu.tw
Backup ContactChen, PhD
+886-2-77496979

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026