Effects of a suspension training warm-up on cardiopulmonary exercise performance in recreationally active college-aged adults: a randomized crossover study protocol

ObjectivesThis study will aim to assess the acute cardiopulmonary differences of a treadmill walking warm{square}up (WW) versus a suspension warm{square}up (SW) immediately preceding cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in recreationally active college{square}aged adults. The primary outcomes will be to assess differences in peak oxygen consumption, peak heart rate, and peak minute ventilation during CPET following a WW versus a SW. Secondary outcomes will include time to exhaustion, rate of perceived exertion, blood pressure, tidal volume, fraction of expired oxygen consumption, and respiration rate. MethodsThis study will be a randomized counterbalanced crossover design. Participants will complete two separate CPETs over two non{square}consecutive test days ([≥]48{square}h, [≤]7{square}d). During each visit, participants will complete either a WW (6{square}min at self{square}selected pace on a treadmill, 0% grade) or SW (6{square}min dynamic sequence of suspension training exercises), followed by an incremental treadmill CPET protocol up to maximal exertion. Gas exchange, heart rate, blood pressure, and rate of perceived exertion will be measured at rest, after warm-up, during CPET protocol, immediately after, and after 5 minutes of resting. Analyses will use linear mixed-effects models and two one-sided tests for equivalence. ConclusionsThis protocol will determine whether a brief, dynamic suspension training warm{square}up is a practical and transferable approach or rather different from a traditional treadmill warm-up before CPET in active young adults. Ethics/registrationIRB SP2553 (June 25, 2025), clinical trials Identifier: NCT07215052.