Sedentary Behavior
Conditions
Keywords
Weekend Warrior Exercise, Aerobic Capacity, Skeletal Muscle Strength, Female University Students, Exercise Distribution, Moderate-Intensity Exercise
Brief summary
This single-center, single-blind, three-arm randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of weekend-concentrated exercise, regularly distributed exercise, and usual lifestyle on aerobic capacity and skeletal muscle strength in sedentary female university students. Sixty participants aged 18 to 25 years will be randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to a weekend warrior group, a regular exercise group, or a control group. The intervention will last 8 weeks. Both exercise groups will complete 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, combining resistance exercise and jogging, but the exercise sessions will be distributed differently across the week. The control group will maintain its usual lifestyle without receiving the prescribed exercise intervention. The primary outcomes are peak oxygen uptake and isokinetic peak torque. Secondary outcomes include body composition, maximal heart rate, maximal power and time to exhaustion, 12-minute run performance, isokinetic mean torque, physical activity, sleep quality, exercise self-efficacy, emotional status, cognitive function, adherence, feasibility, and exercise-related adverse events.
Detailed description
This study is designed to test whether concentrating the recommended weekly exercise volume into a weekend pattern produces comparable benefits to a regularly distributed exercise pattern in sedentary female university students. The intervention emphasizes a dose-matched comparison in which both exercise groups complete the same total weekly exercise duration, while the distribution of exercise sessions differs. After baseline screening and assessment, participants will be assigned to one of three parallel groups using a 1:1:1 allocation ratio. The weekend warrior group will complete two consecutive exercise days per week, whereas the regularly distributed exercise group will complete three exercise days per week. Both exercise programs will last 8 weeks and include resistance exercise combined with moderate-intensity jogging. Resistance exercise will primarily target the lower limbs, core, and major muscle groups. Exercises may include squats, lunges, glute bridges, calf raises, and planks, using body weight, elastic bands, or light equipment as appropriate. Jogging may be performed as continuous jogging or a run-walk format according to individual fitness level. Exercise intensity will be monitored using heart rate and rating of perceived exertion. Jogging intensity will generally be maintained at approximately 60% to 75% of maximal heart rate or a rating of perceived exertion of 12 to 14. Each session will include warm-up, supervised exercise, and cool-down activities. The main contrast between the two exercise interventions is the weekly distribution of exercise rather than total weekly duration. The control group will maintain usual study and lifestyle habits during the 8-week period. Study staff will monitor adherence, perceived exertion, discomfort, and exercise-related events during the intervention. Outcome assessors will be blinded to group allocation when feasible.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALWeekend Warrior Exercise
Participants will complete an 8-week weekend-concentrated exercise program on two consecutive days per week. On each exercise day, participants will perform 30 minutes of resistance exercise and 45 minutes of moderate-intensity jogging, resulting in 75 minutes per day and 150 minutes per week. Resistance exercises will target the lower limbs, core, and major muscle groups and may include squats, lunges, glute bridges, calf raises, and planks. Jogging intensity will be maintained at approximately 60% to 75% of maximal heart rate or a rating of perceived exertion of 12 to 14. Each session will include warm-up and cool-down activities.
BEHAVIORALRegularly Distributed Exercise
Participants will complete 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week for 8 weeks, distributed across three days. Each session will include 20 minutes of resistance exercise targeting the lower limbs, core, and major muscle groups, followed by 30 minutes of jogging. The exercise content, intensity-control principles, and safety requirements will be comparable to those of the weekend warrior group.
Sponsors
Chongqing Normal University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Due to the nature of the exercise interventions, participants and exercise supervisors cannot be blinded. Outcome assessors and data analysts will be blinded to group allocation.
Intervention model description
Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to the weekend warrior exercise group, regular exercise group, or control group. The two exercise groups will complete the same total weekly exercise duration but will differ in how the exercise sessions are distributed across the week.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Female university students aged 18 to 25 years. * Self-reported sedentary time of at least 6 hours per day, further assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). * No cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, metabolic, or musculoskeletal diseases. * Relatively regular menstrual cycles. * Able to understand the study procedures, willing to complete the intervention and assessments, and willing to provide written informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
* Any condition identified through clinical assessment or health screening that makes participation in moderate-intensity exercise or exercise-to-exhaustion testing inappropriate. * Participation in regular exercise training, a systematic weight-loss or body-shaping program, or another exercise intervention study within the previous 3 months. * Recent substantial body-weight fluctuations that may affect body-composition assessment. * Cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, metabolic, or musculoskeletal diseases, or current use of medications that may affect exercise performance, heart-rate responses, or muscle function. * Irregular menstrual cycles. * Inability to complete the 8-week intervention, post-intervention assessments, or required study records.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Peak Oxygen Uptake (VO2peak) | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | Peak oxygen uptake will be assessed during a graded cardiopulmonary exercise test. VO2peak will be recorded in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body mass per minute (mL/kg/min). The change from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention will be compared among the three study groups. |
| Change in Isokinetic Peak Torque | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | Skeletal muscle peak torque will be assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer and recorded in Newton-meters (N·m). The change from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention will be compared among the three study groups. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Body Weight | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | Body weight will be measured in kilograms (kg). The change from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention will be compared among the three study groups. |
| Change in Body Mass Index | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | Body mass index will be calculated as body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg/m²). The change from baseline to week 8 will be compared among the three study groups. |
| Change in Body Fat Percentage | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | Body fat percentage will be assessed using body composition analysis and reported as a percentage (%). The change from baseline to week 8 will be compared among the three study groups. |
| Change in Waist-to-Hip Ratio | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | Waist-to-hip ratio will be calculated by dividing waist circumference by hip circumference. The change from baseline to week 8 will be compared among the three study groups. |
| Change in Maximal Heart Rate | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | Maximal heart rate will be recorded during the graded exercise test and reported in beats per minute (bpm). The change from baseline to week 8 will be compared among the three study groups. |
| Change in Maximal Power at Exhaustion | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | The maximal power output achieved during the graded exercise test will be recorded in watts (W). The change from baseline to week 8 will be compared among the three study groups. |
| Change in Time to Exhaustion | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | Time to exhaustion during the graded exercise test will be recorded in seconds. The change from baseline to week 8 will be compared among the three study groups. |
| Change in 12-Minute Run Distance | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | The total distance completed during the 12-minute run test will be recorded in meters (m). The change from baseline to week 8 will be compared among the three study groups. |
| Change in Isokinetic Mean Torque | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | Mean torque will be assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer and reported in Newton-meters (N·m). The change from baseline to week 8 will be compared among the three study groups. |
| Change in Physical Activity Level Assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire | Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8) | Physical activity level will be assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and expressed as metabolic equivalent minutes per week (MET-min/week). Higher values indicate a greater level of physical activity. |
| Exercise Adherence | Throughout the 8-week intervention | Exercise adherence will be calculated as the number of completed prescribed exercise sessions divided by the total number of prescribed sessions, multiplied by 100, and reported as a percentage. This outcome will be assessed separately in the two exercise groups. |
Countries
China
Contacts
CONTACTKaixiang Zhou
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORKaixiang Zhou
Chongqing Normal University
Outcome results
None listed