Does HIT improve functional exercise capacity in adults over 50 years?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does a 2 week programme of high intensity training improve functional exercise capacity in adults over the age of 50 years? (HIT Trial).
IRAS ID
142253
Contact name
Thomas Owen
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Title: Does a 2 week programme of high intensity training improve functional exercise capacity in adults over the age of 50?
A recent clinical trial showed that high intensity training (HIT) improves functional exercise capacity, without the need to spend a large period of time exercising. It therefore has the potential to induce comparable physiological improvements to endurance training, whilst being more practical for people who don’t have the time to perform regular exercise on a long-term basis. This is important because it could be used to improve the fitness of patients scheduled to undergo surgery with a view to reducing their risk of complications both during and after their surgical procedure.
In this cohort study involving healthy volunteers, adults aged 50 and over will undertake a two week programme of HIT to determine if this improves their functional exercise capacity. The HIT programme will involve participants undertaking 6 exercise sessions of gradually increasing duration (18 minutes initially, increasing to a maximum of 27 minutes by sessions 5 and 6) at a large teaching hospital in the Northwest of England. Participants will be assessed before and after completion of the HIT programme by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) at the Trust to measure their anaerobic threshold (AT: the intensity at which lactic acid begins to accumulate in the bloodstream) and their maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max - the maximal rate of oxygen consumption measured during incremental aerobic exercise) to determine if the HIT programme improves overall functional exercise capacity. Participants will also be asked to complete 2 health related questionnaires and a brief survey to explore their exercise experience. The results of this study will determine whether a HIT programme is effective and feasible and has the potential to be further tested in pre-operative patients scheduled for surgery.REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/0223
Date of REC Opinion
9 May 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion