Heavy squats before a sprint: performance boost or fatigue trap?
NCT ID NCT07736209
First seen Jul 30, 2026 · Last updated Jul 31, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether doing heavy back-squats before exercise can improve jumping and sprinting in trained soccer players. Twenty male university players will complete two sessions: one with a standard warm-up and one with the same warm-up plus three sets of heavy squats. The goal is to see if the squats boost early explosive performance and whether they cause more fatigue during repeated sprints.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- heavy back-squat conditioning activity (three sets of three reps at 90% of one-repetition maximum)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could help coaches design warm-ups that boost explosive power without harming endurance.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial in 20 trained male soccer players. Results may not apply to other athletes or sports, and the heavy squat protocol could increase injury risk.
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
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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
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20 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Finished
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Feb 2026
- Lead sponsor
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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
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20 to 23 years
- Sex
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Male participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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.
Inclusion Criteria: * Male soccer players aged 20-23 years. * Currently competing in the top division of a university soccer league. * A minimum of three years of regular soccer training experience. * Free from long-term musculoskeletal injury during the previous six months. * Willing and able to complete all familiarization, strength-testing, and experimental sessions. * Provision of written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * A musculoskeletal injury resulting in an absence from training or competition for 21 days or longer during the previous six months. * Use of medications or nutritional or ergogenic supplements that could affect exercise performance. * Any health or physical condition preventing safe participation in heavy back-squat, countermovement jump, or repeated sprint testing. * Failure to complete both experimental conditions.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa
Istanbul, Istanbul, 34320, Turkey (Türkiye)