Recruitment for this study is now underway.
All participants will undertake fitness and health testing before and after 8 weeks of HIIT training.
Eligibility of participants:
- male
- aged 18-40 years old
- non-smoker
- free from medical conditions (e.g., heart rhythm disturbance, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular abnormalities, respiratory conditions, and musculoskeletal injuries)
- active: habitual physical activity levels around 150 min/wk of moderate-to-high intensity exercise
- not currently participating in any elite-level sporting competitions.
Further target criteria (which may be determined in the lab):
- BMI: < 30 g/m2
- Aerobic capacity (VO2peak): between 30 and 45 mL/kg/min (will be assessed in the first session).
Benefits of participating
While we cannot guarantee any benefits from your participation in this study, we consider the following to be benefits:
- You will receive high-quality exercise training supervised by exercise science researchers, in a state-of-the-art research facility.
- The training may improve aspects of your health and fitness.
- You will receive potentially valuable information regarding your aerobic fitness.
- You will receive an individualised report on your fitness improvements on completing the training period.
- Some meals will be provided on the testing days.
$200 voucher
You will be remunerated for your time and efforts volunteered to this study in the form of a $200 e-gift voucher, which will be provided to you via email in a staggered payment ($100 voucher upon completing pre-training biopsy trails and the other $100 voucher upon completion of the study).
What participants are required to do
The time commitment for this study will be 47-53 visits over approximately 17 weeks, which include the following phases.
Pre-training exercise tests (each session separated by ≥ 24-48 hours):
- 2 x ramp exercise test (VO2max tests) [~ 30-40 min per visit]
- 2-5 x constant-power exercise tests [~ 45 min per visit] – venous blood samples taken during the exercise testing
- 2 x exhaustive exercise bouts [~ 30–45 min per visit]
Pre-training muscle biopsy trials (each session separated by ≥ 72 h):
2 x exercise sessions (1 × above and 1 × below the lactate threshold) [~4.5-5 h per visit]
Muscle biopsies from the mid-thigh collected before, immediately after and 4 hours after each exercise session (3 biopsies at each exercise session – 6 in total)
8-week endurance training program:
4 sessions per week, involving high-intensity interval training (HIIT), performed on stationary exercise bike
Post-training exercise tests and muscle biopsy trials
- All pre-training exercise testing is repeated (except the exhaustive bouts, and minus 1 ramp exercise test)
- Muscle biopsy trials are repeated