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The Perceived Point of Muscular Discomfort vs the Point of Failure in the Ageing Population- a Pilot Study

NCT07410299 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 15

Last updated 2026-02-13

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This is an investigation into the differences in muscle activation and numerical difference in reps between the feeling of moderate discomfort and technical failure during a set of bodyweight resistance exercise.

The investigators know that resistance training is an essential tool for older people to maintain muscle function, valuable independence and autonomy in daily tasks. The idea of completing a set of resistance training activity to the point of failing a repetition due to fatigue regularly has been shown to not be appealing and could be a reason why there are low participation rates among older people for in weight training regularly.

Research has also shown that it is not necessary to train to failure (being unable to continue to complete repetitions of an exercise with the proper technique due to fatigue), but the investigators would like to know if training to a point of moderate discomfort can also allow for the muscles to gain the positive changes associated with weight training, potentially making it more accessible and enjoyable.

Using bodyweight exercises (a squat pattern and a push up pattern) the investigators will see how many repetitions after the point of perceived moderate discomfort is stated at which the point of failure is. the investigators will also measure muscle activation in the quadriceps and triceps with EMG (a device that can detect the muscles' electrical activity/ how hard it is working) to see at which point the muscle is working the hardest.

Conditions

  • Muscle Fatigue Caused by Repetitive Muscle Exercise

Interventions

OTHER

Resistance Exercise Protocol

The intervention involves performing progressive variations of squat and push-up patterns to technical failure while monitored by EMG electrodes on the triceps and quadriceps. Participants verbally signal a "moderate" discomfort threshold (5/10) during each set to identify the repetition gap between perceived strain and actual physical exhaustion. This structured exercise task serves to calibrate subjective effort against objective muscle activation (%MVC) to map the physiological mechanics of fatigue.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Lancaster University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Paul Hendrickse, PhD · Lancaster University

  • Lawrence Hayes, PhD · Lancaster University

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
60 Years
Max Age
80 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-02-10
Primary Completion
2026-03-10
Completion
2026-03-10

Countries

  • United Kingdom

Study Locations

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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 NCT07410299 on ClinicalTrials.gov