Effects of Two Endurance Training Programs on 5-km Running Performance in Recreational Runners | NCT07738640

NCT07738640

Overview

NCT ID: NCT07738640
Lead Sponsor: Shuqi JiaOTHER
Official Title: Effects of Lactate Threshold Training and Pyramidal-to-Polarized Endurance Training on 5-km Running Performance, Physiological Capacity, and Post-exercise Neural Responses in Recreational Runners: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Brief Summary: This study will examine the effects of two 8-week endurance training programs on 5-km running performance in recreational runners. Participants will be randomly assigned to a lactate threshold training group, a pyramidal-to-polarized endurance training group, or a control group that maintains usual physical activity without receiving the study training program.

Before and after the intervention, participants will complete assessments of 5-km running performance, aerobic fitness, lactate threshold, running economy, blood lactate responses, and brain activity recorded before and after maximal exercise. The study will compare changes among the three groups and examine whether physiological and post-exercise neural responses are associated with improvements in running performance.

The main purpose is to determine whether the two training programs produce different improvements in 5-km running performance and to better understand the physiological and neural adaptations associated with endurance training in recreational runners.

Status and Timeline

Status: Not yet recruiting
Last Update Posted: Aug 3, 2026Actual
Start Date: Aug 2026Estimated
Primary Completion Date: Oct 2026Estimated
Completion Date

Participation Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study: Adult (18-64)
Sexes Eligible for Study: All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Yes
Eligibility Criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

Men and women aged [18-30] years.

Recreational runners with regular running or endurance-training experience for at least [6 months].

Currently completing running training at least [2-3 times per week].

Able to complete a continuous 5-km run.

Willing and able to complete the 8-week training intervention and all study assessments.

Able to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

Current cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, neurological, or other medical conditions that may contraindicate maximal exercise or endurance training.

Current musculoskeletal injury or pain that limits running or participation in maximal exercise testing.

History of loss of consciousness, epilepsy, severe head injury, or other neurological conditions that may affect electroencephalographic recordings.

Use of medications or substances known to substantially affect cardiovascular, metabolic, or central nervous system responses to exercise.

Participation in another structured exercise intervention or clinical study during the study period.

Inability or unwillingness to comply with the assigned training program, testing procedures, or study requirements.

Any other condition judged by the investigators to make participation unsafe or to substantially affect the validity of the study outcomes.

Study Plan

Study Type: Interventional
Phase: Not Applicable
Enrollment: 60Estimated
Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double

Contacts and Locations

Central Contacts: Shuqi JiaContact
jsq2221111006@163.com+8613327732991

Similar Studies

Participant Group/Arms

Lactate Threshold Training GroupExperimental

Participants assigned to this group will complete an 8-week endurance training program primarily prescribed around their individually determined lactate threshold intensity. Training intensity will be individualized using baseline physiological testing and adjusted according to the study protocol. Participants will complete the prescribed training sessions throughout the intervention period and will undergo the same pre- and post-intervention assessments as the other study groups.

Behavioral: Lactate Threshold Training

Pyramidal-to-Polarized Endurance Training GroupExperimental

Participants assigned to this group will complete an 8-week periodized endurance training program in which the training-intensity distribution progresses from a pyramidal pattern during the initial phase to a polarized pattern during the later phase. Exercise intensity will be individualized using baseline physiological testing and adjusted according to the study protocol. Participants will undergo the same pre- and post-intervention assessments as the other study groups.

Behavioral: Pyramidal-to-Polarized Endurance Training

Usual Activity Control GroupNo Intervention

Participants assigned to this group will continue their usual physical activity and running habits during the 8-week study period and will not receive either of the structured training programs administered by the research team. Participants will be asked not to begin any new structured endurance training program during the intervention period and will undergo the same pre- and post-intervention assessments as the training groups.