The effect of ten weeks of Tabata resistance training on structural and functional changes in the heart of obese elderly women

Determining the effect of 10 weeks of Tabata resistance training on structural and functional indices of the heart

A controlled clinical trial with parallel groups, double-blind, randomized, on 36 patients. SPSS software was used for randomization.

The intervention group will perform 10 weeks of Tabata resistance training (3 sessions per week, including 8 sets of 20 seconds of maximum with 10 seconds of rest) and the control group will have their usual activity. The exercises will be performed in a gym under the supervision of a trainer. Cardiac variables will be measured before and after the intervention period. Double-blinding: Participants are unaware of the main hypotheses of the study and the type of group allocation. The doctor does not know which subject is in the Tabata training group and which is in the control group.

Inclusion criteria: Female gender; age 55 to 65 years, body mass index in the overweight or obese range, physical activity less than 150 minutes of exercise per week in the past 6 months, physical and mental health confirmed by a specialist physician. Inclusion criteria: Use of sports supplements or steroid drugs, smoking, history of pain or surgery in musculoskeletal areas, cardiovascular disease or limiting systemic diseases.

The intervention group will perform 10 weeks of Tabata resistance training (3 sessions per week, including 8 sets of 20 seconds max with 10 seconds rest), and the control group will have their normal activity.

Significant reduction in left ventricular mass; improvement in left ventricular internal diameter at end-diastole; reduction in left ventricular internal diameter at end-systole; increase in cardiac ejection fraction; modification of left ventricular posterior wall thickness and interventricular septal thickness.

The randomization unit in this study is the individual. After being called and screened based on the inclusion criteria, volunteers are individually assigned to the allocation process. Simple randomization will be used to divide the subjects into two groups: Tabata and control. The sequence of this allocation will be generated by a statistician using SPSS statistical software so that each individual has an equal chance of being placed in each group. Stratification will not be used in this study. To conceal allocation and prevent bias, opaque, sealed, serially numbered envelopes are used. The names of the groups are placed on cards in the software sequence and placed inside these envelopes. These envelopes are opened by someone outside the implementation team only after initial measurements, including weight and body composition indices, have been taken. This process ensures that neither the researcher nor the subject is aware of the type of group assigned until the exercises begin.

In this study, in order to comply with the principles of double blinding, participants and the outcome assessor (echocardiography specialist) will be unaware of the type of group assignment. Participants are not aware of the main hypotheses of the study and the type of group division. Also, the specialist physician responsible for performing echocardiography will not be aware of which subject is in the Tabata exercise group and which is in the control group. For this purpose, subjects are referred to the physician without mentioning the group name and only with a protocolized identification code to prevent bias in the evaluation and interpretation of the results.

De-identified Individual Participant Dataset and Study Documents for the Trial: Effects of 10-Week Tabata Resistance Training on Left Ventricular Mass and Cardiac Dimensions in Obese Older Women. All individual participant data (IPD) related to primary outcomes and secondary outcomes will be available for sharing after the completion of the study and publication of the main manuscript. To adhere to ethical principles, all personal identifiers (such as names, national IDs, and contact information) will be completely removed, and the data will be shared in a de-identified Excel format to ensure participant confidentiality.

Data and document access will begin 6 months after the publication of the final results and the main manuscript, and will be available for a period of 2 years.

Access to the data and documents of this study will be granted only to researchers and investigators affiliated with academic and scientific institutions, as well as graduate students conducting related research in sports science or cardiovascular fields.

The data and documents of this study are available solely for secondary statistical analysis, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses to advance knowledge in sports science and cardiovascular physiology. Any commercial use or advertising purposes are strictly prohibited. Applicants are required to provide a formal citation to the original study in any resulting scientific work. Furthermore, the data must not be shared with third parties. Requirements for submitting a request include an official letter of introduction from the affiliated university or institution, a brief proposal outlining the intended use of the data, and a commitment to maintaining confidentiality and avoiding any attempts at participant re-identification.

Applicants should submit their requests for data or documents through the following channels in order of priority: First Priority (Email): Send the request to the Corresponding Author's email at info@iauk.ac.ir (or the specific academic email provided in the final published paper). The subject line must include "Request for IPD - Tabata Training Clinical Trial". Second Priority (In-person or Postal Mail): Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Islamic Azad University of Kerman, Imam Ali Boulevard, Kerman, Iran. Contact Person: Corresponding Author and Head of the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Islamic Azad University of Kerman.

Applicants must follow the process below to access the data or documents: 1. Formal Request Submission: The applicant must send an email containing a valid letter of introduction from their university or institution, along with a brief proposal (purpose of use), to the corresponding author. 2. Initial Review: The corresponding author will review the request for ethical and scientific compliance within 7 working days and provide an initial response. 3. Signing the Agreement: If approved, a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and confidentiality form will be sent to the applicant, which must be signed and returned (approximately 3 to 5 days). 4. Preparation and Delivery: After receiving the signed agreement, the anonymized data and requested documents will be sent to the applicant as encrypted files within 7 days.