Pleasure over pain: new study tests fun workouts for heart recovery
NCT ID NCT07105943
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether tailoring exercise to feel more pleasurable can help heart attack survivors stay active. Fifty-two patients will either follow a standard cardiac rehab program or one where exercise intensity is adjusted to maximize enjoyment. Researchers will measure physical activity levels and how patients feel during and after exercise.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- pleasure-oriented exercise intensity manipulation
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a more enjoyable way to help heart patients stay active after a heart attack.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 52 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The effect on long-term health is unknown.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
About 52 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
-
Mar 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Selection criteria include: * patients older than 18 years * diagnosis of ACS within the past 12 months who have not previously participated in a CR program * patients classified as low-risk (Class B) according to the American Heart Association: (a) New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I or II, (b) exercise capacity greater than 6 METs, (c) no evidence of heart failure, (d) no signs of myocardial ischemia or angina at rest or during exercise testing at or below 6 METs, (e) appropriate systolic blood pressure response during exercise, and (f) absence of sustained or non-sustained ventricular tachycardia at rest or during exercise. Standard exclusion criteria include: * left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \< 40% at rest * uncontrolled arrythmias (e.g., complex ventricular arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation or flutter with rapid ventricular response, second-degree atrioventricular block Mobitz type II, or third-degree atrioventricular block) * presence of an implantable cardiac device * symptomatic peripheral arterial disease * comorbidities that may interfere with the ability to perform the exercise program safely.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Affect and exertion during and post-exercise are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Hospital de Leiria
RECRUITINGLeiria, Portugal
-
Unidade Local de Saúde da Região de Leiria
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGLeiria, 2410-197, Portugal
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.