Skeletal Muscle HypertrophyNCT02139865
The Effects of Lifting Light or Heavy Weights on Muscle Growth and Strength in Trained Young Men
A study testing 30% 1RM and 80% 1RM in people with Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy and Muscle Weakness, run by McMaster University at 2 sites in Canada.
Trial summary
When practicing weightlifting regularly the body makes new proteins within the muscle. These new proteins can increase the size of the cells within the muscle to make them larger, a process called hypertrophy. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 30 years, men onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy, Muscle Weakness
- What is being tested?
- 30% 1RM and 80% 1RM
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 50 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesCanada
- Study dates
- May 2014to Mar 2016
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 30 years
- Men only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Male
- Aged 18-30 years old
- Non-obese (Body mass index less than 30 kg/m2)
- Non-smoker
- Healthy based on questionnaire responses (see exclusion criteria)
- Resistance trained (Resistance training > 2 times per week for 2 years, minimum 1 lower body exercise session per week)
Who cannot join
- Allergies to milk proteins (whey or casein)
- Any acute or chronic illness, cardiac, pulmonary, liver, or kidney abnormalities, uncontrolled hypertension, insulin- or non-insulin dependent diabetes or other metabolic disorders-all ascertained through medical history screening questionnaires
- Arthritic conditions
- Individuals who consume any analgesic or anti-inflammatory drug(s), prescription or non- prescription, chronically will be excluded
- A history of neuromuscular problems
- Individuals on any medications known to affect protein metabolism (i.e. corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, or prescription strength acne medications).
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
Canada2 sites
Exercise Metabolism Research Laboratory, McMaster Univeristy
Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8
About this study
Official title: The Effects of Resistance Training Intensity on Muscular Hypertrophy and Strength in Young, Resistance Trained Men
When practicing weightlifting regularly the body makes new proteins within the muscle.
These new proteins can increase the size of the cells within the muscle to make them larger, a process called hypertrophy. The common convention surrounding gains in skeletal muscle size and strength is that heavy weights are needed. In contrast, lifting lighter weights are thought to be required to induce muscular endurance and not to promote growth. However, it has previously been shown in untrained men that lifting lighter weights results in similar gains in muscle mass and strength as lifting heavier weights. The purpose of this study is to examine how performing resistance training of different intensities (light or heavy weights) affects the degree of muscle growth and strength gain in individuals who are already resistance training.
This information will be valuable when designing exercise protocols for increasing muscle size and strength at all ages, or in individuals returning from injury, as a way to stimulate muscle growth and promote strength gains without the need to lift heavy weights.
Read the detailed description
Patients will visit the laboratory of Dr. Stuart Phillips at the Ivor Wynne Centre (IWC) at McMaster University for 14 weeks for a number of tests and exercise sessions.
Each visit will be as follows:
Visit 1:
Upon obtaining consent, eligible participants will complete a medical screening questionnaire to determine their readiness to perform exercise as well as a filling out a form to determine subject characteristics. Participants will begin collecting data for their first 3-day diet record. They will record their diet (2 weekdays and a weekend day) again at 6 weeks (mid-protocol) and at 12 weeks of the study.
Visit 2:
Participants will report the lab between 08.00 and 10.00 h to undergo body composition scans including BodPod (to assess fat mass), bioelectrical impedance (BIA - to assess your total body water content), and Dual-energy x-ray- Absorptiometry (DXA- to determine bone mineral content). All tests will be performed in the post-absorptive state (12 hours). Participants will also have a familiarization with the lab and exercise equipment to determine preliminary resistance training (RT) loads.
Visit 4:
Participants will report to the lab to determine their one-repetition-maximum on the leg press, leg extension, bench press and shoulder press. This will be done by having participants attempt a weight based on their familiarization session; if they can complete this weight though a full range of motion with good form, they will rest 3-5 min and then attempt a higher weight until their 1RM is reached.
Visit 5:
Participants will report to the lab in the post-absorptive state (12 hours) for a resting muscle biopsy from the muscle on the outside of their thigh.
Visits 6: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two exercise intensity treatment groups: ~30% of 1RM (which equates to ~20-25 repetitions per set) for 3 sets to failure (25 subjects) or 80% of 1RM for 3 sets to failure (another 25 subjects). All sets will have 60 seconds of rest in between. On two occasions (one at the beginning of the study another at the end), participants will return to the lab in the post-absorptive state and a catheter (plastic tube with a small needle) will be inserted into a vein in your arm. A resting blood sample will be taken. Upon completion of their first exercise session, subsequent blood samples will be taken at 15 minutes, 30 minutes 60 minutes to determines an acute time course of the changes in blood metabolites and hormones.
Visit 7-54:
Participants will attend supervised exercise sessions 4 times per week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) alternating lower body and upper body focused sessions for 12 weeks. Participants in the 30% (LOW) group will perform approximately 20-25 repetitions per set while participants in the 80% (HIGH) group will perform approximately 8-12 repetitions per set. Immediately following each resistance training session as well as prior to sleep, participants will consume 30g of whey protein. 1RM testing will be repeated every three weeks throughout the protocol and will be conducted prior to beginning the last of every 12 training sessions. Prior to completing their final training session (session number 48) participants will again arrive to the lab in the post-absorptive state for blood sampling procedure as described previously.
Visit 55:
Participants will arrive in the post absorptive (fasted) state 48 hours following their last training session. They will undergo a final BodPod, DEXA and BIA scan to determine body composition as well as a final resting biopsy of the vastus lateralis muscle.
- Conditions
- Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy, Muscle Weakness
- Being tested
- 30% 1RM, 80% 1RM
- Medical subject headings
- Muscle Weakness
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
30% 1RMBehavioural
Participant exercises using a protocol tailored at 30% of their 1RM
80% 1RMBehavioural
Participant exercises using a protocol tailored at 80% of their 1RM
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| 30% | Experimental | Training at 30% 1RM Receives: Behavioral: 30% 1RM |
| 80% | Experimental | Training at 80% 1RM Receives: Behavioral: 80% 1RM |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Muscle Volume
Change from baseline at 12 weeks Measured via 4 compartment model
Measured: 0 weeks (baseline) and 12 weeks
Secondary outcomes (1)
Gene expression
Change from baseline at 12 weeks . Gene expression for proteins involved in muscle protein synthesis measured from muscle biopsy.
Measured: 0 weeks (baseline) and 12 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 May 2014 (estimated)
- Study startMay 2014
- Primary completionDec 2015
- Study completionMar 2016
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Skeletal Muscle HypertrophyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by McMaster UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- McMaster University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Stuart Phillips, Ph.D., Principal investigator, McMaster University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02139865
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- REB 14-333
- Status last verified
- Mar 2016
- First submitted
- 7 Apr 2014
- Last updated
- 19 Mar 2018
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Publications
Morton RW, Oikawa SY, Wavell CG, Mazara N, McGlory C, Quadrilatero J, Baechler BL, Baker SK, Phillips SM. Neither load nor systemic hormones determine resistance training-mediated hypertrophy or strength gains in resistance-trained young men. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2016 Jul 1;121(1):129-38. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00154.2016. Epub 2016 May 12.
PubMed 27174923
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 19 Mar 2018. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effects of Resistance Training Intensity on Muscular Hypertrophy and Strength in Young, Resistance Trained Men
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02139865
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- REB 14-333
- Conditions
- Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy, Muscle Weakness
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- McMaster UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- May 2014
- Primary completion
- Dec 2015 (actual)
- Study completion
- Mar 2016 (actual)
- First posted
- 15 May 2014 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
When practicing weightlifting regularly the body makes new proteins within the muscle.
These new proteins can increase the size of the cells within the muscle to make them larger, a process called hypertrophy. The common convention surrounding gains in skeletal muscle size and strength is that heavy weights are needed. In contrast, lifting lighter weights are thought to be required to induce muscular endurance and not to promote growth. However, it has previously been shown in untrained men that lifting lighter weights results in similar gains in muscle mass and strength as lifting heavier weights. The purpose of this study is to examine how performing resistance training of different intensities (light or heavy weights) affects the degree of muscle growth and strength gain in individuals who are already resistance training.
This information will be valuable when designing exercise protocols for increasing muscle size and strength at all ages, or in individuals returning from injury, as a way to stimulate muscle growth and promote strength gains without the need to lift heavy weights.
Detailed description
Patients will visit the laboratory of Dr. Stuart Phillips at the Ivor Wynne Centre (IWC) at McMaster University for 14 weeks for a number of tests and exercise sessions.
Each visit will be as follows:
Visit 1:
Upon obtaining consent, eligible participants will complete a medical screening questionnaire to determine their readiness to perform exercise as well as a filling out a form to determine subject characteristics. Participants will begin collecting data for their first 3-day diet record. They will record their diet (2 weekdays and a weekend day) again at 6 weeks (mid-protocol) and at 12 weeks of the study.
Visit 2:
Participants will report the lab between 08.00 and 10.00 h to undergo body composition scans including BodPod (to assess fat mass), bioelectrical impedance (BIA - to assess your total body water content), and Dual-energy x-ray- Absorptiometry (DXA- to determine bone mineral content). All tests will be performed in the post-absorptive state (12 hours). Participants will also have a familiarization with the lab and exercise equipment to determine preliminary resistance training (RT) loads.
Visit 4:
Participants will report to the lab to determine their one-repetition-maximum on the leg press, leg extension, bench press and shoulder press. This will be done by having participants attempt a weight based on their familiarization session; if they can complete this weight though a full range of motion with good form, they will rest 3-5 min and then attempt a higher weight until their 1RM is reached.
Visit 5:
Participants will report to the lab in the post-absorptive state (12 hours) for a resting muscle biopsy from the muscle on the outside of their thigh.
Visits 6: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two exercise intensity treatment groups: ~30% of 1RM (which equates to ~20-25 repetitions per set) for 3 sets to failure (25 subjects) or 80% of 1RM for 3 sets to failure (another 25 subjects). All sets will have 60 seconds of rest in between. On two occasions (one at the beginning of the study another at the end), participants will return to the lab in the post-absorptive state and a catheter (plastic tube with a small needle) will be inserted into a vein in your arm. A resting blood sample will be taken. Upon completion of their first exercise session, subsequent blood samples will be taken at 15 minutes, 30 minutes 60 minutes to determines an acute time course of the changes in blood metabolites and hormones.
Visit 7-54:
Participants will attend supervised exercise sessions 4 times per week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) alternating lower body and upper body focused sessions for 12 weeks. Participants in the 30% (LOW) group will perform approximately 20-25 repetitions per set while participants in the 80% (HIGH) group will perform approximately 8-12 repetitions per set. Immediately following each resistance training session as well as prior to sleep, participants will consume 30g of whey protein. 1RM testing will be repeated every three weeks throughout the protocol and will be conducted prior to beginning the last of every 12 training sessions. Prior to completing their final training session (session number 48) participants will again arrive to the lab in the post-absorptive state for blood sampling procedure as described previously.
Visit 55:
Participants will arrive in the post absorptive (fasted) state 48 hours following their last training session. They will undergo a final BodPod, DEXA and BIA scan to determine body composition as well as a final resting biopsy of the vastus lateralis muscle.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| 30% | Experimental | Behavioral: 30% 1RMTraining at 30% 1RM |
| 80% | Experimental | Behavioral: 80% 1RMTraining at 80% 1RM |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 30 years
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Male
- Aged 18-30 years old
- Non-obese (Body mass index less than 30 kg/m2)
- Non-smoker
- Healthy based on questionnaire responses (see exclusion criteria)
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Allergies to milk proteins (whey or casein)
- Any acute or chronic illness, cardiac, pulmonary, liver, or kidney abnormalities, uncontrolled hypertension, insulin- or non-insulin dependent diabetes or other metabolic disorders-all ascertained through medical history screening questionnaires
- Arthritic conditions
- Individuals who consume any analgesic or anti-inflammatory drug(s), prescription or non- prescription, chronically will be excluded
- A history of neuromuscular problems
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| 30% 1RMParticipant exercises using a protocol tailored at 30% of their 1RM | Behavioural | 30% |
| 80% 1RMParticipant exercises using a protocol tailored at 80% of their 1RM | Behavioural | 80% |
Primary outcome
Muscle Volume
Time frame: 0 weeks (baseline) and 12 weeks
Change from baseline at 12 weeks Measured via 4 compartment model
1 secondary outcome
Gene expression
Time frame: 0 weeks (baseline) and 12 weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 19 Mar 2018.
- Results publication: PubMed 27174923Morton RW, Oikawa SY, Wavell CG, Mazara N, McGlory C, Quadrilatero J, Baechler BL, Baker SK, Phillips SM. Neither load nor systemic hormones determine resistance training-mediated hypertrophy or strength gains in resistance-trained young men. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2016 Jul 1;121(1):129-38. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00154.2016. Epub 2016 May 12.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Stuart Phillips, Ph.D. principal investigator
McMaster University
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing 30% 1RM and 80% 1RM in people with Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy and Muscle Weakness, run by McMaster University at 2 sites in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 19 Mar 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Muscle Volume (time frame: 0 weeks (baseline) and 12 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02139865, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 19 Mar 2018.