Sympathetic Nervous SystemSKNA-CTNCT07680387
Sympathetic Nerve Activity and Strength Gains in Resistance Versus Concurrent Training
A study testing Strength-only training and Concurrent training in people with Sympathetic Nervous System, run by Beijing Sport University at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
This study examines how the body's stress (sympathetic) nervous system responds to 8 weeks of either strength training alone or strength training combined with endurance (treadmill running) training in previously untrained young men. 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
- Sympathetic Nervous System
- What is being tested?
- Strength-only training and Concurrent training
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 1 Aug 2024to 13 Dec 2024
- 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
- Healthy young men
- No hypertension or cardiovascular/vascular disease
- No migraine or neurodegenerative disease
- No smoking or alcohol use
- No prior structured exercise training
- No musculoskeletal injury
- Willing to abstain from caffeine, alcohol, and strenuous exercise for 24 hours before testing
Who cannot join
- Hypertension or cardiovascular/vascular disease
- Migraine or neurodegenerative disease
- Current smoking or alcohol use
- Prior structured exercise training history
- Musculoskeletal injury precluding resistance or endurance exercise
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Sympathetic Activation and Strength Gains Rise Together Under Resistance Training But Uncouple Under Concurrent Training: An 8-Week Randomized Controlled Trial in Untrained Men
This study examines how the body's stress (sympathetic) nervous system responds to 8 weeks of either strength training alone or strength training combined with endurance (treadmill running) training in previously untrained young men. Skin sympathetic nerve activity, a noninvasive marker of sympathetic nervous system activity, is measured before and after training, along with muscle strength, jumping ability, and heart rate variability. The study investigates whether changes in sympathetic nervous system activity are associated with changes in strength and jumping ability, and whether this relationship differs between men who perform strength training alone versus those who combine strength and endurance training.
Read the detailed description
This study examined how the body's stress (sympathetic) nervous system responds to 8 weeks of either strength training alone or strength training combined with endurance (treadmill running) training in previously untrained young men. Skin sympathetic nerve activity, a noninvasive marker of sympathetic nervous system activity, was measured before and after training, along with muscle strength, jumping ability, and heart rate variability. The study found that in men who did strength training only, those whose sympathetic nervous system activity increased the most also gained the most strength and jumping ability. This relationship was not seen, and in some cases reversed, in men who combined strength training with endurance training. The findings suggest that adding endurance exercise changes how the nervous system adapts to a strength training program, alongside the well-documented reduction in strength gains seen with combined training (the "interference effect").
- Conditions
- Sympathetic Nervous System
- Being tested
- Strength-only training, Concurrent training
- Keywords
- skin sympathetic nerve activity, concurrent training, resistance training, autonomic nervous system
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Strength-only trainingOther
Supervised resistance exercise comprising weighted calf raises, back squats, countermovement jumps, and weighted lunges, performed on a Smith machine three times weekly for 8 weeks.
Concurrent trainingOther
performed on a Smith machine three times weekly for 8 weeks.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Strength-only training | Active comparator | Participants performed a supervised resistance training program three times weekly for 8 weeks: weighted calf raises (80% 1RM, 4x6), back squats (75% 1RM, 4x6), countermovement jumps (60-cm target height, 4x6), and weighted lunges (60% 1RM, 4x5), using a Smith machine. Receives: Other: Strength-only training |
| Concurrent training | Experimental | Participants performed the identical resistance training program as the Strength-only arm, followed by 30-40 minutes of moderate-intensity treadmill running (46-64% VO2max) once heart rate had returned to 40% of maximum, three times weekly for 8 weeks (a strength-priority exercise sequence). Receives: Other: Concurrent training |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
skin sympathetic nerve activity (aSKNA)
Average rectified voltage of skin sympathetic nerve activity recorded noninvasively via the neuECG method.
Measured: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in one-repetition maximum (1RM) back squat
Measured: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in countermovement jump (CMJ) height
Measured: Baseline and 8 weeks
Secondary outcomes (6)
Change in CMJ peak velocity
Measured: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in CMJ peak power
Measured: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in SKNA burst duration
Measured: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in SKNA burst amplitude
Measured: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in SKNA burst total area
Measured: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in CMJ peak force
Measured: Baseline and 8 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Jul 2026
- Study start1 Aug 2024
- Primary completion12 Dec 2024
- Study completion13 Dec 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Sympathetic Nervous SystemStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- In the concurrent training arm, resistance exercise was always performed before endurance exercise within each session (a strength-priority sequence).
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Beijing Sport University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- China Institute of Sport Science
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07680387
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- BSU-2024224H
- Acronym
- SKNA-CT
- Status last verified
- Sep 2024
- First submitted
- 22 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 2 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article will be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Sympathetic Activation and Strength Gains Rise Together Under Resistance Training But Uncouple Under Concurrent Training: An 8-Week Randomized Controlled Trial in Untrained Men
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07680387
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SKNA-CT / BSU-2024224H
- Conditions
- Sympathetic Nervous System
- Keywords
- skin sympathetic nerve activity, concurrent training, resistance training, autonomic nervous system
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Beijing Sport UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- China Institute of Sport Science
- Study start
- 1 Aug 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 12 Dec 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 13 Dec 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 2 Jul 2026 (actual)
- 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.
This study examines how the body's stress (sympathetic) nervous system responds to 8 weeks of either strength training alone or strength training combined with endurance (treadmill running) training in previously untrained young men. Skin sympathetic nerve activity, a noninvasive marker of sympathetic nervous system activity, is measured before and after training, along with muscle strength, jumping ability, and heart rate variability. The study investigates whether changes in sympathetic nervous system activity are associated with changes in strength and jumping ability, and whether this relationship differs between men who perform strength training alone versus those who combine strength and endurance training.
Detailed description
This study examined how the body's stress (sympathetic) nervous system responds to 8 weeks of either strength training alone or strength training combined with endurance (treadmill running) training in previously untrained young men. Skin sympathetic nerve activity, a noninvasive marker of sympathetic nervous system activity, was measured before and after training, along with muscle strength, jumping ability, and heart rate variability. The study found that in men who did strength training only, those whose sympathetic nervous system activity increased the most also gained the most strength and jumping ability. This relationship was not seen, and in some cases reversed, in men who combined strength training with endurance training. The findings suggest that adding endurance exercise changes how the nervous system adapts to a strength training program, alongside the well-documented reduction in strength gains seen with combined training (the "interference effect").
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, care provider)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- In the concurrent training arm, resistance exercise was always performed before endurance exercise within each session (a strength-priority sequence).
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Strength-only training | Active comparator | Other: Strength-only trainingParticipants performed a supervised resistance training program three times weekly for 8 weeks: weighted calf raises (80% 1RM, 4x6), back squats (75% 1RM, 4x6), countermovement jumps (60-cm target height, 4x6), and weighted lunges (60% 1RM, 4x5), using a Smith machine. |
| Concurrent training | Experimental | Other: Concurrent trainingParticipants performed the identical resistance training program as the Strength-only arm, followed by 30-40 minutes of moderate-intensity treadmill running (46-64% VO2max) once heart rate had returned to 40% of maximum, three times weekly for 8 weeks (a strength-priority exercise sequence). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 30 years
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Healthy young men
- No hypertension or cardiovascular/vascular disease
- No migraine or neurodegenerative disease
- No smoking or alcohol use
- No prior structured exercise training
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Hypertension or cardiovascular/vascular disease
- Migraine or neurodegenerative disease
- Current smoking or alcohol use
- Prior structured exercise training history
- Musculoskeletal injury precluding resistance or endurance exercise
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Strength-only trainingSupervised resistance exercise comprising weighted calf raises, back squats, countermovement jumps, and weighted lunges, performed on a Smith machine three times weekly for 8 weeks. | Other | Strength-only training |
| Concurrent trainingperformed on a Smith machine three times weekly for 8 weeks. | Other | Concurrent training |
Primary outcome
skin sympathetic nerve activity (aSKNA)
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Average rectified voltage of skin sympathetic nerve activity recorded noninvasively via the neuECG method.
Change in one-repetition maximum (1RM) back squat
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in countermovement jump (CMJ) height
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
6 secondary outcomes
Change in CMJ peak velocity
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in CMJ peak power
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in SKNA burst duration
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in SKNA burst amplitude
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in SKNA burst total area
Time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks
Change in CMJ peak force
Time frame: Baseline and 8 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 2 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article will be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.
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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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Strength-only training and Concurrent training in people with Sympathetic Nervous System, run by Beijing Sport University at 1 site in China.
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 7 inclusion and 5 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 2 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in China. 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?
skin sympathetic nerve activity (aSKNA) (time frame: Baseline and 8 weeks). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 2 Jul 2026.