Comparing Standard and Short High-Intensity Exercise Training for People with Schizophrenia Spectrum and Bipolar Disorders

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to compare two types of high-intensity training HIT programs in people with schizophrenia-spectrum or bipolar disorders, which are severe mental health conditions. These patients often face ongoing symptoms, cognitive challenges, and a higher risk of heart disease leading to a shorter life expectancy. The study seeks to find out which HIT approach better supports long-term health and symptom management. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two exercise programs lasting 26 weeks. One group will do a standard HIT involving four 4-minute sessions of walking or running on a treadmill at high intensity, with warm-up and cool-down periods, twice weekly. The other group will do a shorter HIT with a single 4-minute high-intensity session, also twice a week. Both programs are supervised by physical therapists and delivered mainly in groups to encourage participation. During the study, participants will undergo various assessments at multiple time points up to 52 weeks, including mental and cognitive symptom evaluations, quality of life, motivation, physical activity levels, heart rate, oxygen uptake, body measurements, and blood tests for inflammation and metabolic markers. The main focus is on adherence to the exercise programs over 26 weeks. Researchers will also monitor safety and collect blood samples for further biological analysis throughout the trial.

Exercise Therapy in Mental Disorders-study