Muscle-strengthening exercises by contraction or isometrics such as wall squats or the sustained plank position are among the best ways to lower blood pressure, says a study.
Many of the current recommendations for controlling blood pressure focus on walking, running, or cycling, all of which are aerobic exercises.
However, an analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, which involved testing 16,000 people, found that all types of exercise are good for lowering blood pressure.
But, more than aerobic exercise, they found that wall squats and floor planks lower blood pressure much more.
These isometric, or contraction, exercises are designed to increase strength without moving muscles or joints.
The plank position, which resembles a push-up (push-up), with elbows directly under the shoulders, legs fully straight back, strengthens the abdomen.
Squats, on the other hand, involve leaning your back against a wall with your feet 60 centimeters away from it and sliding your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Isometric exercises put very different stresses on the body than aerobic exercises, says study author Jamie O’Driscoll, Ph.D., of Christ Church University in Canterbury.
“They increase tension in the muscles when you hold them for two minutes, then produce a sudden rush of blood flow when you relax,” he explains.
“This increases circulation, but you have to remember to breathe.”
High blood pressure stresses the blood vessels, heart and other organs, increasing the risk of conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.
These problems are usually treated with medication, but patients are also advised to maintain a healthy diet, reduce alcohol consumption, stop smoking and exercise regularly.
Those over 40 are also advised to have their blood pressure checked every five years.
Blood pressure in the arteries is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). Figures below 130/85 mmHg are healthy, while above 140/90 mmHg are high, according to the study.
The first number records the blood pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts to pump blood, called the systolic blood pressure.
The smaller number is the pressure in the arteries that occurs between beats, when the heart is filling with blood, and is called diastolic blood pressure.
For their analysis, researchers at Christ Church University Canterbury and the University of Leicester studied data collected from 15,827 people exercising for two weeks or more in 270 clinical trials published between 1990 and 2023.
The study compared the amount of blood pressure reduction achieved according to exercise:
These are relatively small differences, Dr. O’Driscoll points out, but they can reduce patients’ risk of stroke.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended in its guide to good health that adults get 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate aerobic physical activity, or at least 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic physical activity in that same period.
In addition to that, O’Driscoll says they should consider doing three times a week sessions of squatting against a wall or plank position for two minutes, repeated four times with two minutes of rest in between.
The WHO says inactivity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the world’s leading cause of death, largely preventable through moderate exercise, such as walking 30 to 60 minutes a day.
Physical activity has an impact on other cardiovascular disease risk factors. It helps control weight, reduce stress, anxiety and depression, in addition to controlling diabetes, according to the agency’s website.
In addition to exercise, the WHO also recommends quitting smoking, losing weight and maintaining a healthy diet to promote good health as the years go by.