According to analysis, the most effective exercise for lowering blood pressure is isometric training, which involves contracting muscles without moving them.
The majority of people experience a blood pressure increase just thinking about completing a plank. But according to a study, it’s actually the best approach to lessen it.
The effectiveness of various types of exercise on lowering blood pressure was compared by researchers at Canterbury Christ Church and Leicester universities. They discovered that “isometric exercises,” which involve contracting muscles without moving them, like wall sits and planks, were nearly twice as effective as the government’s recommended exercise guidelines.
In addition to dietary and other lifestyle modifications, the NHS website advises adults to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular activity each week, such as quick walking or cycling.
Systolic blood pressure reduction is linked to a lower occurrence of major cardiovascular disease events such heart failure, stroke, and overall mortality.
Newer exercise methods, such as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and isometric training, are not mentioned in this guidance.
The research looked at 270 randomised controlled clinical trials with 15,827 participants that looked at how different types of exercise affected resting blood pressure. They were divided into four categories: isometric exercises, dynamic resistance training, a mixture of these, and aerobic activities. Both systolic blood pressure, which measures arterial pressure during heartbeats, and diastolic blood pressure, which measures arterial pressure between beats, were examined by the authors to determine the effects of exercise on both.
