Optimising exercise training in women
Learn more about our project examining methods for optimising exercise, with the goal of maximising health and performance benefits in women.
The project will be conducted at the Institute for Health and Sport (IHES) at the Footscray Park campus of Victoria University.
About this project
Exercise training improves fitness levels and is vital to preventing many chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Evidence suggests that performing exercise at different intensities (i.e., above or below the lactate threshold) elicits distinctively different responses in your muscle.
Improving our understanding of why these responses occur will help to optimise exercise prescription for women to improve their health and fitness.
Be a part of the study
We're currently recruiting participants for this study.
Participants will undertake fitness and health testing before and after 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Eligibility
To be considered for this study, you must be:
- female
- aged 18–40 years
- non-smoker
- free from medical conditions (e.g., heart rhythm disturbances, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular abnormalities, respiratory conditions, and musculoskeletal injuries)
- active - with habitual physical activity level around 150 min/wk of moderate-to-high intensity exercise
- not currently participating in any elite-level sporting competitions.
Further target criteria (to be determined in the exercise physiology laboratory):
- Body mass index (BMI): < 30 kg/m2
- Aerobic capacity (VO2max): between 25 and 45 mL/kg/min (will be assessed in the first visit session).
What participants will do
The time commitment for this study will be 47—53 visits over approximately 18 weeks, which includes the following phases:
Benefits of participating
You will be compensated for your time and efforts with $200 in e-gift cards!
This will be provided to you through email in stages. You'll receive a $100 gift card upon completing pre-training biopsy trials and the remaining $100 gift card when you complete the study.
Other benefits include:
- high-quality exercise training supervised by exercise science researchers, in a state-of-the-art research facility
- potentially-valuable information regarding your aerobic fitness
- an individualised report on your fitness improvements after completing the training period
- some meals will be provided on testing days.