SEEKING ZWIFT RIDERS : take part in scientific research from the comfort of your home

You are invited to take part in an innovative study on interval training (HIIT), carried out at home on the Zwift platform, during Winter or Spring of 2025, depending on your availability. While the protocol is relatively demanding, it offers you a unique opportunity to improve your performance while contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge in sports and exercise science.

Aim of the study

Our research aims to analyze the impact of different active recovery times (very short, short, medium, long) between intervals on performance at the end of an interval training session.

Your participation

The protocol is intensive and includes :

• 11 high-intensity training sessions on Zwift (in a virtual group, from home)
• Duration : 50 to 75 minutes per session
• Frequency : 2 or 3 sessions per week over 4 weeks
• Questionnaires on your training load and fatigue level
• Transmission of session data files to researchers

Eligibility criteria

• Age : 18 to 55
• Regular cycling : minimum 3 times per week,
• Equipment required : real-time power sensor and heart rate monitor
• Competition experience (cycling or triathlon) or intensive training
• No medical contraindications for intense exercise
• No musculoskeletal disorders or joint injuries in the lower limbs

Detailed protocol

Initial and final tests (weeks 1 and 4) :

• 3 continuous tests to exhaustion : 1, 5 and 20 minutes

Intermittent tests (weeks 2 and 3) :

• 4 sessions, each comprising :
• 5 1-minute effort periods
• Variable recovery between efforts (30, 60, 90 or 120 seconds)
• Maximum final effort of 5 minutes

Research team

This study is part of Jérémy Briand’s PhD program, under the supervision of Professors Jonathan Tremblay and Guy Thibault.

Ethics

This research project has been approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Université de Montréal.

To register or for more information

Contact Jérémy Briand : jeremy.briand@umontreal.ca

LIRE EN FRANÇAIS : Zwifteurs recherchés