An interventional study of Weekend Warrior Exercise and Regularly Distributed Exercise in Sedentary Behavior, sponsored by Chongqing Normal University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in China. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 25 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-13.
Sponsored by Chongqing Normal University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
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.
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.
1,273 studies on the registry are indexed under Sedentary Behavior; 300 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is close to the median of 60 across 1,076 interventional studies indexed under Sedentary Behavior.
Browse Sedentary Behavior studies →Chongqing Normal University is the lead sponsor of 5 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will complete an 8-week weekend-concentrated exercise program. They will exercise on two consecutive days per week, completing 30 minutes of resistance exercise and 45 minutes of jogging on each exercise day, for a total of 75 minutes per day and 150 minutes per week.
Behavioral: Weekend Warrior Exercise
Participants will complete an 8-week regularly distributed exercise program. They will exercise on three days per week, completing 20 minutes of resistance exercise and 30 minutes of jogging during each session, for a total of 50 minutes per session and 150 minutes per week.
Behavioral: Regularly Distributed Exercise
Participants will maintain their usual study and lifestyle habits during the 8-week study period and will not receive the exercise intervention prescribed by the study. Their participation in additional structured exercise will be monitored.
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.
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.
Change in Peak Oxygen Uptake (VO2peak)
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Change in Isokinetic Peak Torque
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Change in Body Weight
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Change in Body Mass Index
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Change in Body Fat Percentage
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Change in Waist-to-Hip Ratio
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Change in Maximal Heart Rate
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Change in Maximal Power at Exhaustion
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Change in Time to Exhaustion
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Change in 12-Minute Run Distance
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Change in Isokinetic Mean Torque
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Change in Physical Activity Level Assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire
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.
Time frame: Baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 8)
Exercise Adherence
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.
Time frame: Throughout the 8-week intervention
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be shared. Study findings will be reported only in aggregate or anonymized form in academic publications, conference presentations, and research reports, in accordance with the approved protocol and informed consent.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Jul 2026; primary completion for Oct 2027, 15 months later.
Of 733 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Sedentary Behavior, half reached primary completion within 14 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 31. This study's planned 15 months is close to that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 741 studies reached it within 14 months; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 31.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jul 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Chongqing Normal University