Fact of the day

Four weeks of lower-body isometric exercise training cut systolic blood pressure by 9.45 mm Hg on average in a trial of 100 adults with normal to high-normal readings. One or two sessions a week partly preserved the drop over the following 4 weeks, three preserved it best, and stopping entirely returned pressure to control levels.

Study design

Study

Journal

BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med

Evidence

preliminary

⚠What it shows: Convincing for the short term: 100 adults with normal to slightly raised blood pressure were assigned at random to different weekly training doses, but the maintenance window lasted only 4 weeks. People with diagnosed hypertension were not tested, so the findings may not stretch to them.Study · BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med