I used to ignore my blood pressure readings, but my doctor has recently recommended that, because of the drugs I take, I start paying more attention to them. It has gradually risen, leaving me to question what I can do to maintain it under control, even if it is still much inside the typical range.
Approximately 1.28 billion persons worldwide suffer with hypertension, making it one of the most prevalent health issues. If not treated, it can increase the likelihood of cardiovascular problems like heart attacks and strokes.
One of the best ways to reduce blood pressure, according to most people, is to exercise. A weekly regimen of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such jogging or cycling, is recommended by most public health organizations as a means to control it. Yet several recent research suggest this may not truly be the most successful way.
One of the more persuasive findings comes from a 2023 analysis of 270 randomized controlled studies, involving over 16,000 participants. Each research assessed the impact on blood pressure of an exercise plan lasting at least two weeks.
The investigation indicated that every form of workout – from aerobic activity to weight training – significantly decreased blood pressure compared with control groups.
However, isometric workouts such as wall sits and hand grips, in which a muscle is tightened in a static position, ruled supreme. Their average effects were comparable to those of blood pressure medicine, reducing systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 8.24 and 4 mmHg, respectively.
A drop of this magnitude is related with up to a 22 per cent lower risk of a serious cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, lasting at least a few years. Almost half of the effect was due to aerobic workouts.
The difference is probably to do with how isometric activities alter blood flow.
Think of wall squats and planks: they entail retaining muscles in a tight position for a minute or two.
Squeezing muscles for that long momentarily limits blood flow to them. When they are then loosened, veins widen, allowing blood to stream back in. This decreases blood pressure for several hours, and the decline becomes sustained with repeated exercise.
What makes isometric workouts even more tempting is that they are reasonably easy to include into your regimen. A 2023 study indicated that just 12 minutes of these exercises three times a week for 12 weeks was enough to dramatically lower blood pressure.
Now, I don’t want to recommend we forget about other sorts of workout. Aerobic exercise and resistance training are still crucial for cardiovascular health and building muscle.
But if you aren’t seeing your blood pressure budge, it may be worth adding an isometric technique or two to your training program. I, for one, will absolutely start including wall squats into my leg day.