Statistical analysis
The sample size estimate was based on projected changes in muscle strength (Galvão et al. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 27 (SPSS Inc., IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Normality of the distribution for outcome measures was evaluated using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. Differences in baseline characteristics between groups were assessed using independent t-tests or the Mann–Whitney U-test, as appropriate, for continuous data and chi-square for categorical data. Data were analysed on an intention-to-treat basis, with sensitivity analyses undertaken to ensure data robustness using complete cases approach (Thabane et al. 