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Effects of Low-volume HIIT Versus MICT on Physical Performance in Older Adults With Possible Sarcopenia

NCT05790863 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2025-07-22

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Background: Sarcopenia is an age-related geriatric syndrome characterized by progressive loss of muscle mass and function. Before the diagnosis of sarcopenia, a "possible sarcopenia" stage has been proposed recently, characterized by low muscle strength or poor physical performance, even with normal muscle mass. The definition of "possible sarcopenia" emphasizes the importance of early intervention. Due to the lack of effective pharmaceutical treatments, exercise is recommended as the most available intervention for sarcopenia. High-intensity interval training (HIIT), a time-efficient aerobic training, has gained increasing popularity for its benefits in physiologic outcomes such as muscle strength and physical functions in other populations. However, the benefits of HIIT have not been well-studied following older adults with possible sarcopenia. In the present study, we aim to investigate the effects of a 7-week HIIT and moderate-intensity continuous aerobic training (MICT) on physical performance in older individuals with possible sarcopenia. We hypothesize that HIIT will confer physical benefits over MICT (i.e., traditional endurance exercise) and will be generally well-tolerated in older adults.

Method: The participants will be randomly allocated into the HIIT or MICT group (1:1 ratio). The participants will receive the training 3 times per week over seven weeks. HIIT consists of 5 bouts of interval training intensity with 1-minute-high intensity (76-90% HRmax) and 1-minute recovery per session (total 15 minutes with warm-up and cool-down). MICT will adopt an intensity of 65-70% HRmax training that lasts less than 30 minutes per session (total 25 minutes with warm-up and cool-down). Evaluation will be performed at baseline, after 4 weeks, and 7 weeks of the intervention. The primary outcomes include 10-meter walking test and the five-time chair stand test. The secondary outcomes include grip strength, the functional stretch test; the Exercise Enjoyment Scale and the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale for affective valence.

Discussion: This is the first study to investigate the effects of low-volume HIIT on physical performance and affective valence in older adults with possible sarcopenia. This study will provide critical evidence to guide early prevention and intervention of exercise regimens for possible sarcopenia.

Conditions

Interventions

DEVICE

Ergometer cycling

Paticipants will receive 21 sessions (3 sessions/week) of training for 7 weeks with the arm-leg cycle ergometer (SCIFIT, REX7000, US)

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
60 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2023-03-07
Primary Completion
2024-10-30
Completion
2024-10-30

Countries

  • China

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT05790863 on ClinicalTrials.gov