Study note — Tan et al. 2023 Healthcare (Malaysia jog 2 / recover 4 ×4 + lifting)
Shelf: Other studies (Miles Running “Now” protocol source — not Siim-cited)
Full-text access: Yes — PMC open access (PMC10487730).
Fetched 2026-09-18 from Europe PMC / MDPI PDF
doi:10.3390/healthcare11172443 · PMID 37685476 · PMC PMC10487730
Labels: [Paper] · [Inference] · vs Miles
Citation
Tan J, Krasilshchikov O, Kuan G, Hashim HA, Aldhahi MI, Al-Mhanna SB, Badicu G.
The Effects of Combining Aerobic and Heavy Resistance Training on Body Composition, Muscle Hypertrophy, and Exercise Satisfaction in Physically Active Adults.
Healthcare (Basel). 2023;11(17):2443.
doi:10.3390/healthcare11172443
Malaysia: workout studio in Kuala Lumpur; ethics USM/JEPeM/19090542 (Universiti Sains Malaysia). Lead author affiliated Fitness Innovations Malaysia + USM.
Related thesis (same protocol family): Jerrican Tan Aik Ling, MSc USM 2023 — The effects of combining aerobic and hypertrophy oriented resistance training… (eprints.usm.my).
Methods [Paper]
Population
- n = 22 analyzed (24 recruited; 1 dropout/group for non-adherence); healthy physically active men, age 18–35 (mean age 26.68 ± 4.34 y; height 172.00 ± 5.94 cm).
- BMI 18.5–24.9; limited prior hypertrophy / heavy resistance training; maintained habitual physical activity.
- Site: commercial workout studio, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Design
- RCT-style allocation: resistance only (control) vs resistance + aerobic (combined), 8 weeks.
- Both groups: hypertrophy RT 3×/week, 45–60 min, 3-day muscle split (≈2–3 exercises/muscle group, 8 sets/muscle group, 6–12 RM).
Exact aerobic interval protocol (combined group only) — Table 4 [Paper]
| Phase | Intensity | Duration | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | up to 60% HRR | 5 min | — |
| Jog (work) | 60–70% HRR | 2 min | ×4 |
| Recovery | 50–60% HRR | 4 min | (between jogs) |
| Cool-down | (easy) | 5 min | — |
- Session total ~30–35 min; aerobic 3×/week.
- Work volume: 8 min hard jogging per session (4 × 2 min).
- Paper does not print treadmill mph/km·h⁻¹ — intensity is % HRR.
- Recovery row is intensity-only (50–60% HRR × 4 min); work row is explicitly labeled “Jog.” Miles’s treadmill walk at recovery is an operationalization of that easy HRR band, not a verbatim “walk” word in Table 4.
Key results (numbers) [Paper]
Within combined group (time effects; no significant between-group interactions on body composition):
- Body weight: significant loss mid → post (p = 0.006).
- Body fat %: significant ↓ pre → mid (p = 0.003) and pre → post (p = 0.016).
- Fat mass: significant ↓ pre → mid (p = 0.007) and pre → post (p = 0.021).
- Lean body mass: significant ↑ pre → mid (p = 0.001) and pre → post (p = 0.015).
- Hypertrophy girths: combined group showed thigh and chest girth improvements (authors interpret aerobic add-on as not opposing hypertrophy).
- Exercise satisfaction: ↑ pre → post in both groups (p < 0.05); no between-group difference post (p > 0.05).
Resistance-only group: fewer significant within-group body-composition changes than combined.
Limitations / catch [Paper] + [Inference]
- Small n (11/group analyzed); authors note power/generalizability limits.
- Hypertrophy via girths, not MRI/DEXA.
- Outcomes are body composition / girth / satisfaction — not VO2max, race performance, or longevity endpoints.
- Aerobic frequency in study = 3×/week stacked on 3×/week lifting — denser than Miles’s calendar.
- Recovery modality: Table 4 says 50–60% HRR × 4 min, not the word “walk”; Miles uses treadmill walk @ 2.7 (speeds are Miles’s, not paper’s).
- Population phrasing: paper = physically active men with limited hypertrophy history — close to Miles’s “moderately trained,” not elite runners.
vs Miles’s use
| Miles (Running Now / ladder) | Paper |
|---|---|
| Malaysia-style jog 2 min / walk 4 min ×4 | [Paper] Jog 2 min @ 60–70% HRR + recovery 4 min @ 50–60% HRR ×4 (+ 5 min WU/CD) — Yes on structure |
| Treadmill jog @ 6 / walk @ 2.7 | [Inference] Miles’s speed mapping — not in paper (HRR only) |
| 1–2×/week | [Paper] aerobic 3×/week (+ RT 3×/week) — Miles lower frequency |
| Often with lifting elsewhere in week | [Paper] concurrent RT 3×/week same program — Yes concurrent context |
| Build-up / Running ladder “Current” | [Inference] protocol template — outcomes studied = composition/girth/satisfaction, not marathon readiness |
Match to Miles’s remembered study: Yes — Malaysia / Malaysian authors, physically active men, 2 min jog / 4 min easy recovery ×4, 3×/week with resistance training.
Paywall note
Open access MDPI Healthcare; PMC10487730 PDF used for this pass.