Exercise TrainingBICEPS-PTNCT07905690
Adaptations in the Biceps Brachii Muscles to Different Modalities of Resistance Training
A study testing Strength training in people with Exercise Training, run by Umeå University.
Trial summary
This study examined how two types of resistance training affect the biceps muscle over six weeks in healthy young men. Participants performed either low-repetition, heavy-load training designed to improve maximal strength or high-repetition training designed to improve muscular endurance. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 40 years, men only
- Conditions the study is for
- Exercise Training
- What is being tested?
- Strength training
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 10 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2004to 29 Jun 2026
- 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 40 years
- Men only
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Male.
- Aged 18 to 40 years.
- Healthy.
- Recreationally resistance trained.
- Able and willing to provide informed consent and complete the six-week supervised resistance-training program, strength testing, blood sampling, and muscle-biopsy procedures.
Who cannot join
- Female sex.
- Younger than 18 years or older than 40 years.
- Not recreationally resistance trained.
- Unable or unwilling to provide informed consent or complete the study procedures.
About this study
Official title: Initial Adaptations in the Biceps Brachii Muscles to Different Modalities of Resistance Training: A Randomized Top-down Proteomic Pilot Study
This study examined how two types of resistance training affect the biceps muscle over six weeks in healthy young men. Participants performed either low-repetition, heavy-load training designed to improve maximal strength or high-repetition training designed to improve muscular endurance. Training was supervised and performed twice weekly.
Researchers measured arm strength and muscular endurance before and after training. They also collected small samples of biceps muscle tissue to examine muscle-fibre characteristics and changes in muscle proteins. These protein measurements were intended to identify early changes in muscle that may occur before visible changes in muscle size or measurable improvements in performance.
The study found no clear differences between the two training approaches in strength, endurance, muscle-fibre size, or muscle-fibre type after six weeks. However, the two programs were associated with different patterns of change in muscle proteins. These findings may help researchers understand the early biological processes through which different types of resistance exercise affect skeletal muscle. This was a small exploratory study, so the results may not apply to other populations or longer training programs.
Read the detailed description
This randomized pilot study examined early changes in the biceps brachii muscle after two different resistance-training programs. The study was conducted in Umeå, Sweden, between January and December 2005. Its purpose was to compare changes in muscle strength, muscular endurance, muscle-fibre characteristics, blood markers, and muscle proteins after six weeks of either heavy, low-repetition resistance training or high-repetition resistance training.
Ten healthy male university students, aged 18 to 40 years and recreationally resistance trained, provided written informed consent and were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Five participants performed maximal-strength training and five performed endurance-oriented strength training. The random sequence was computer-generated by a researcher not involved in outcome assessment. Participants and instructors knew the assigned program, but laboratory staff and data analysts were blinded to group assignment.
Both groups trained their biceps muscles twice weekly for six weeks under individual supervision. Training consisted of bilateral preacher curls with free weights. The maximal-strength group performed five sets of three repetitions using a weight that could be lifted for three repetitions, with four minutes of rest between sets. The endurance-oriented group performed three sets of 30 repetitions using a weight that could be lifted for 30 repetitions, also with four minutes of rest. Training loads were adjusted as participants' strength changed.
Before and after the training period, participants completed tests of right-arm biceps strength and endurance using an isokinetic dynamometer. The study measured peak elbow-flexion force, total work during repeated contractions, and fatigue during the endurance test. Blood samples were collected before and after training to measure selected hormones and creatine kinase. Muscle-biopsy samples were collected before training from the left biceps and after training from the right biceps, using local anaesthesia. The samples were examined for muscle-fibre type and size and for changes in muscle proteins using proteomic methods.
The study was exploratory and included a small number of participants. No intervention-related adverse events were reported. One participant developed a small raised scar after a muscle biopsy. The findings were intended to help identify early molecular changes in muscle that may occur before measurable changes in strength, endurance, or muscle size.
- Conditions
- Exercise Training
- Being tested
- Strength training
- Keywords
- muslce, proteomics, exercise
- Medical subject headings
- Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Strength trainingBehavioural
A supervised, isolated biceps-brachii resistance-training intervention delivered twice weekly for six weeks. Participants performed bilateral preacher curls (Scott curls) with free weights on an EZ bar, using a standardized range of motion from full elbow extension to 135 degrees of elbow flexion.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Maximal-Strength Training (MaxST) | Experimental | A supervised, isolated biceps-brachii resistance-training intervention delivered twice weekly for six weeks. Participants performed bilateral preacher curls (Scott curls) with free weights on an EZ bar, using a standardized range of motion from full elbow extension to 135 degrees of elbow flexion. Each session comprised five sets of three-repetition maximum (3RM) with four minutes of rest between sets. The concentric phase was performed at maximal intended speed, while the eccentric phase was controlled over approximately three seconds. The load was individually progressed as the participant's 3RM improved. This intervention differs from the endurance-oriented arm primarily in its low-repetition, high-load prescription Receives: Behavioral: Strength training |
| Endurance-Oriented Strength Training (EndST) | Experimental | A supervised, isolated biceps-brachii resistance-training intervention delivered twice weekly for six weeks. Participants performed bilateral preacher curls (Scott curls) with free weights on an EZ bar, using the same standardized range of motion from full elbow extension to 135 degrees of elbow flexion. Each session comprised three sets of 30-repetition maximum (30RM) with four minutes of rest between sets. The concentric phase was performed at maximal intended speed, while the eccentric phase was controlled over approximately three seconds. The load was individually progressed as the participant's 30RM improved. This intervention differs from the maximal-strength arm primarily in its high-repetition, lower-load prescription. Receives: Behavioral: Strength training |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in biceps brachii muscle protein profile
Muscle-protein abundance was assessed in biceps brachii biopsy samples collected before and after the training intervention. Intact proteins were separated and quantified using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE). Protein spots with changed abundance were selected for identification by mass spectrometry. The outcome was the within-group change in abundance of individual protein spots from baseline to after training, compared between the maximal-strength and endurance-oriented strength-training groups.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 6-week resistance-training intervention (approximately Day 45).
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Oct 2026
- Study start1 Sep 2004
- Primary completion23 Jan 2014
- Study completion29 Jun 2026
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 Exercise TrainingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Umeå 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
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Umeå University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07905690
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Biceps brachii DNr. 2003-302
- Acronym
- BICEPS-PT
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 23 Oct 2026
- Last updated
- 29 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Hammert WB, Yamada Y, Kataoka R, Song JS, Spitz RW, Wong V, Seffrin A, Loenneke JP. Changes in Absolute and Relative Muscular Endurance After Resistance Training: A Review of the Literature With Considerations for Future Research. J Strength Cond Res. 2025 Apr 1;39(4):474-491. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000005084.
PubMed 40153563
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Initial Adaptations in the Biceps Brachii Muscles to Different Modalities of Resistance Training: A Randomized Top-down Proteomic Pilot Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07905690
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- BICEPS-PT / Biceps brachii DNr. 2003-302
- Conditions
- Exercise Training
- Keywords
- muslce, proteomics, exercise
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Umeå UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2004 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 23 Jan 2014 (actual)
- Study completion
- 29 Jun 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 29 Oct 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 examined how two types of resistance training affect the biceps muscle over six weeks in healthy young men. Participants performed either low-repetition, heavy-load training designed to improve maximal strength or high-repetition training designed to improve muscular endurance. Training was supervised and performed twice weekly.
Researchers measured arm strength and muscular endurance before and after training. They also collected small samples of biceps muscle tissue to examine muscle-fibre characteristics and changes in muscle proteins. These protein measurements were intended to identify early changes in muscle that may occur before visible changes in muscle size or measurable improvements in performance.
The study found no clear differences between the two training approaches in strength, endurance, muscle-fibre size, or muscle-fibre type after six weeks. However, the two programs were associated with different patterns of change in muscle proteins. These findings may help researchers understand the early biological processes through which different types of resistance exercise affect skeletal muscle. This was a small exploratory study, so the results may not apply to other populations or longer training programs.
Detailed description
This randomized pilot study examined early changes in the biceps brachii muscle after two different resistance-training programs. The study was conducted in Umeå, Sweden, between January and December 2005. Its purpose was to compare changes in muscle strength, muscular endurance, muscle-fibre characteristics, blood markers, and muscle proteins after six weeks of either heavy, low-repetition resistance training or high-repetition resistance training.
Ten healthy male university students, aged 18 to 40 years and recreationally resistance trained, provided written informed consent and were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Five participants performed maximal-strength training and five performed endurance-oriented strength training. The random sequence was computer-generated by a researcher not involved in outcome assessment. Participants and instructors knew the assigned program, but laboratory staff and data analysts were blinded to group assignment.
Both groups trained their biceps muscles twice weekly for six weeks under individual supervision. Training consisted of bilateral preacher curls with free weights. The maximal-strength group performed five sets of three repetitions using a weight that could be lifted for three repetitions, with four minutes of rest between sets. The endurance-oriented group performed three sets of 30 repetitions using a weight that could be lifted for 30 repetitions, also with four minutes of rest. Training loads were adjusted as participants' strength changed.
Before and after the training period, participants completed tests of right-arm biceps strength and endurance using an isokinetic dynamometer. The study measured peak elbow-flexion force, total work during repeated contractions, and fatigue during the endurance test. Blood samples were collected before and after training to measure selected hormones and creatine kinase. Muscle-biopsy samples were collected before training from the left biceps and after training from the right biceps, using local anaesthesia. The samples were examined for muscle-fibre type and size and for changes in muscle proteins using proteomic methods.
The study was exploratory and included a small number of participants. No intervention-related adverse events were reported. One participant developed a small raised scar after a muscle biopsy. The findings were intended to help identify early molecular changes in muscle that may occur before measurable changes in strength, endurance, or muscle size.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Maximal-Strength Training (MaxST) | Experimental | Behavioral: Strength trainingA supervised, isolated biceps-brachii resistance-training intervention delivered twice weekly for six weeks. Participants performed bilateral preacher curls (Scott curls) with free weights on an EZ bar, using a standardized range of motion from full elbow extension to 135 degrees of elbow flexion. Each session comprised five sets of three-repetition maximum (3RM) with four minutes of rest between sets. The concentric phase was performed at maximal intended speed, while the eccentric phase was controlled over approximately three seconds. The load was individually progressed as the participant's 3RM improved. This intervention differs from the endurance-oriented arm primarily in its low-repetition, high-load prescription |
| Endurance-Oriented Strength Training (EndST) | Experimental | Behavioral: Strength trainingA supervised, isolated biceps-brachii resistance-training intervention delivered twice weekly for six weeks. Participants performed bilateral preacher curls (Scott curls) with free weights on an EZ bar, using the same standardized range of motion from full elbow extension to 135 degrees of elbow flexion. Each session comprised three sets of 30-repetition maximum (30RM) with four minutes of rest between sets. The concentric phase was performed at maximal intended speed, while the eccentric phase was controlled over approximately three seconds. The load was individually progressed as the participant's 30RM improved. This intervention differs from the maximal-strength arm primarily in its high-repetition, lower-load prescription. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 40 years
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Male.
- Aged 18 to 40 years.
- Healthy.
- Recreationally resistance trained.
- Able and willing to provide informed consent and complete the six-week supervised resistance-training program, strength testing, blood sampling, and muscle-biopsy procedures.
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Female sex.
- Younger than 18 years or older than 40 years.
- Not recreationally resistance trained.
- Unable or unwilling to provide informed consent or complete the study procedures.
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 trainingA supervised, isolated biceps-brachii resistance-training intervention delivered twice weekly for six weeks. Participants performed bilateral preacher curls (Scott curls) with free weights on an EZ bar, using a standardized range of motion from full elbow extension to 135 degrees of elbow flexion. | Behavioural | Endurance-Oriented Strength Training (EndST), Maximal-Strength Training (MaxST) |
Primary outcome
Change in biceps brachii muscle protein profile
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 6-week resistance-training intervention (approximately Day 45).
Muscle-protein abundance was assessed in biceps brachii biopsy samples collected before and after the training intervention. Intact proteins were separated and quantified using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE). Protein spots with changed abundance were selected for identification by mass spectrometry. The outcome was the within-group change in abundance of individual protein spots from baseline to after training, compared between the maximal-strength and endurance-oriented strength-training groups.
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 29 Oct 2026.
- Background: PubMed 40153563Hammert WB, Yamada Y, Kataoka R, Song JS, Spitz RW, Wong V, Seffrin A, Loenneke JP. Changes in Absolute and Relative Muscular Endurance After Resistance Training: A Review of the Literature With Considerations for Future Research. J Strength Cond Res. 2025 Apr 1;39(4):474-491. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000005084.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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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.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Strength training in people with Exercise Training, run by Umeå University.
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 5 inclusion and 4 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 29 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
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?
Change in biceps brachii muscle protein profile (time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 6-week resistance-training intervention (approximately Day 45).). 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 NCT07905690, 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 29 Oct 2026.