If you’re one of the nearly 120 million people with high blood pressure, there’s one exercise that you can do to lower your blood pressure. Isometric exercise is especially effective in lowering blood pressure. This type of exercise involves contracting a certain muscle or muscle group and holding it in the same position.
An exercise physiology lecturer from the University of East London recently published a study that found static exercises including planks and wall sits are very effective in lowering blood pressure. Isometric exercises also have other health benefits.
Jamie Edwards's study reviewed 270 randomized controlled trials with over 15,000 subjects. The study showed that the best routine for lowering blood pressure included three weekly sessions of isometric exercises. Each set should have four, two-minute bouts of isometric exercises between rest periods of one to four minutes.
The observed drop in blood pressure was equivalent to reductions using standard blood pressure medications. Edward’s research also found that isometric exercises improve heart function, structure, and mechanics as well as vascular health, and autonomic nervous system performance. These are all vital for cardiovascular health and reduction in disease risk. Isometrics are also good for joint health.
Isometrics may help with blood pressure because maintaining a static muscle contraction compresses blood vessels then results in increased blood flow upon release of the isometric hold. Too much pressure on a ligament of the joint could result in injuries such as an ACL rupture.
Muscles have an important role in reducing the force our ligaments are exposed to by offering stability around a joint. Studies find that training certain muscle groups via isometric exercises can help reduce pressure on specific ligaments. For example, one study found that hamstring training helped reduce ACL pressure, potentially reducing the chance of future injuries to the ligament.
Finally, isometric exercise can help with muscle imbalances. It's not unusual for the muscles on one side of your body to be stronger than the other. This is known as limb dominance. When this occurs, there’s a tendency to favor one side of the body over the other.
It’s common for your body to modify to the demands of sports or other efforts that require more from one side of the body, like football, volleyball, and basketball. While it's typically not a problem if one side of your body is stronger than the other, it may increase your risk of injury and potentially affect your performance.
One-sided (unilateral) isometric exercises such as split squats or side plans may help balance differences in strength between limbs. For improving strength in certain fixed positions, isometric exercises are very useful. These exercises activate certain muscles or muscle groups and often imitate challenging positions like the bottom of a squat, maintaining a scrum in rugby, or even opening a jar.
They can help build the necessary strength to manage the load placed on the body during physical activity, sports, or activities of daily living. This could improve athletic performance or physical function.
Isometric exercises are easy to do and frequently used in physiotherapy and rehabilitation programs for those recovering from injuries to the musculoskeletal system. They can be done with limited mobility where pain could be a limitation.
Because these exercises are done in a static position, they may be better tolerated than those needing extensive movement. Isometric exercises are a great choice for those with limited mobility. They can modify the exercises to a comfortable position. The height of a wall squat can be changed for individuals with limited hip movement.
Isometric workouts don’t take much time. Research evaluating their benefits for heart health advised subjects to do just eight minutes of exercise per session. This translates to roughly four sets of isometric exercises that are held for about two minutes with periods of rest of one to four minutes between sets.
Beneficial changes may be seen by doing these exercises three times per week for three weeks, making them simple to add to a busy schedule. These exercises are also able to be done anywhere and rely on body weight to stress muscles. Consult with a healthcare provider before starting a new exercise plan.
Below are other beneficial ways to manage blood pressure.
· Follow your healthcare provider’s recommendations for lifestyle changes and medication.
· Get adequate, quality sleep. A recent research review notes a link between poor sleep, elevated blood pressure, and risk for CVD (cardiovascular disease). 2
· Reduce stress. Both acute and chronic stress impact blood pressure. 3 Try breathing exercises, journaling, or seeing a mental health professional.
· Try isotonic exercises at home such as a 30-second plank or wall sit. Build up the time as your body becomes stronger.
· Include more high-potassium vegetables in your diet. These include dark, leafy greens like kale and spinach as well as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes.
· Eat more high-potassium fruit. Dark orange fruits such as citrus fruit, melon, peaches, nectarines, and apricots are good sources of potassium as are bananas and kiwi.
· Don’t forget dairy. As part of the DASH diet, low-fat dairy foods like milk and yogurt provide calcium to help lower blood pressure. Choose plant-based milk if you have lactose intolerance.
· Try unsalted nuts and seeds as snacks, in trail mix, oats, or yogurt. They add healthy fats to your diet as well as magnesium to lower blood pressure.
· Reduce fast and ultra-processed food. Both are high in sodium and trans fat, which may raise blood pressure.
· Manage your weight. A small weight loss of even 5 pounds will reduce blood pressure. 4
2. Kim Y, Mattos MK, Esquivel JH, Davis EM, Logan J. Sleep and blood pressure variability: A systematic literature review. Heart Lung. 2024 Nov-Dec;68:323-336. doi: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2024.08.016. Epub 2024 Aug 31. PMID: 39217647.
3. Mak HW, Gordon AM, Prather AA, Epel ES, Mendes WB. Acute and Chronic Stress Associations With Blood Pressure: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study on an App-Based Platform. Psychosom Med. 2023 Sep 1;85(7):585-595. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001224. Epub 2023 Jun 27. PMID: 37363963; PMCID: PMC10527536.
4. Yang S, Zhou Z, Miao H, Zhang Y. Effect of weight loss on blood pressure changes in overweight patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2023 May;25(5):404-415. doi: 10.1111/jch.14661. Epub 2023 May 4. PMID: 37141231; PMCID: PMC10184479.
Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD, is a registered dietitian and owner of Sound Bites Nutrition in Cincinnati. She shares her clinical, culinary, and community nutrition knowledge through cooking demos, teaching, and freelance writing. Lisa is a regular contributor to Food and Health Communications and Today’s Dietitian and is the author of the Healing Gout Cookbook, Complete Thyroid Cookbook, and Heart Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook. Her line of food pun merchandise, Lettuce beet hunger, supports those suffering food insecurity in Cincinnati. For more information,
Research finds one type of exercise is as good as medicine for reducing blood pressure
If you’re one of the nearly 120 million people with high blood pressure, there’s one exercise that you can do to lower your blood pressure. Isometric exercise is especially effective in lowering blood pressure. This type of exercise involves contracting a certain muscle or muscle group and holding it in the same position.
An exercise physiology lecturer from the University of East London recently published a study that found static exercises including planks and wall sits are very effective in lowering blood pressure. Isometric exercises also have other health benefits.
Jamie Edwards's study reviewed 270 randomized controlled trials with over 15,000 subjects. The study showed that the best routine for lowering blood pressure included three weekly sessions of isometric exercises. Each set should have four, two-minute bouts of isometric exercises between rest periods of one to four minutes.
The observed drop in blood pressure was equivalent to reductions using standard blood pressure medications. Edward’s research also found that isometric exercises improve heart function, structure, and mechanics as well as vascular health, and autonomic nervous system performance. These are all vital for cardiovascular health and reduction in disease risk. Isometrics are also good for joint health.
Isometrics may help with blood pressure because maintaining a static muscle contraction compresses blood vessels then results in increased blood flow upon release of the isometric hold. Too much pressure on a ligament of the joint could result in injuries such as an ACL rupture.
Muscles have an important role in reducing the force our ligaments are exposed to by offering stability around a joint. Studies find that training certain muscle groups via isometric exercises can help reduce pressure on specific ligaments. For example, one study found that hamstring training helped reduce ACL pressure, potentially reducing the chance of future injuries to the ligament.
Finally, isometric exercise can help with muscle imbalances. It's not unusual for the muscles on one side of your body to be stronger than the other. This is known as limb dominance. When this occurs, there’s a tendency to favor one side of the body over the other.
It’s common for your body to modify to the demands of sports or other efforts that require more from one side of the body, like football, volleyball, and basketball. While it's typically not a problem if one side of your body is stronger than the other, it may increase your risk of injury and potentially affect your performance.
One-sided (unilateral) isometric exercises such as split squats or side plans may help balance differences in strength between limbs. For improving strength in certain fixed positions, isometric exercises are very useful. These exercises activate certain muscles or muscle groups and often imitate challenging positions like the bottom of a squat, maintaining a scrum in rugby, or even opening a jar.
They can help build the necessary strength to manage the load placed on the body during physical activity, sports, or activities of daily living. This could improve athletic performance or physical function.
Isometric exercises are easy to do and frequently used in physiotherapy and rehabilitation programs for those recovering from injuries to the musculoskeletal system. They can be done with limited mobility where pain could be a limitation.
Because these exercises are done in a static position, they may be better tolerated than those needing extensive movement. Isometric exercises are a great choice for those with limited mobility. They can modify the exercises to a comfortable position. The height of a wall squat can be changed for individuals with limited hip movement.
Isometric workouts don’t take much time. Research evaluating their benefits for heart health advised subjects to do just eight minutes of exercise per session. This translates to roughly four sets of isometric exercises that are held for about two minutes with periods of rest of one to four minutes between sets.
Beneficial changes may be seen by doing these exercises three times per week for three weeks, making them simple to add to a busy schedule. These exercises are also able to be done anywhere and rely on body weight to stress muscles. Consult with a healthcare provider before starting a new exercise plan.
Below are other beneficial ways to manage blood pressure.
· Follow your healthcare provider’s recommendations for lifestyle changes and medication.
· Get adequate, quality sleep. A recent research review notes a link between poor sleep, elevated blood pressure, and risk for CVD (cardiovascular disease). 2
· Reduce stress. Both acute and chronic stress impact blood pressure. 3 Try breathing exercises, journaling, or seeing a mental health professional.
· Try isotonic exercises at home such as a 30-second plank or wall sit. Build up the time as your body becomes stronger.
· Include more high-potassium vegetables in your diet. These include dark, leafy greens like kale and spinach as well as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes.
· Eat more high-potassium fruit. Dark orange fruits such as citrus fruit, melon, peaches, nectarines, and apricots are good sources of potassium as are bananas and kiwi.
· Don’t forget dairy. As part of the DASH diet, low-fat dairy foods like milk and yogurt provide calcium to help lower blood pressure. Choose plant-based milk if you have lactose intolerance.
· Try unsalted nuts and seeds as snacks, in trail mix, oats, or yogurt. They add healthy fats to your diet as well as magnesium to lower blood pressure.
· Reduce fast and ultra-processed food. Both are high in sodium and trans fat, which may raise blood pressure.
· Manage your weight. A small weight loss of even 5 pounds will reduce blood pressure. 4
Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD
References:
1. One type of exercise is as good as medication for lowering blood pressure - Health - News - Daily Express US
2. Kim Y, Mattos MK, Esquivel JH, Davis EM, Logan J. Sleep and blood pressure variability: A systematic literature review. Heart Lung. 2024 Nov-Dec;68:323-336. doi: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2024.08.016. Epub 2024 Aug 31. PMID: 39217647.
3. Mak HW, Gordon AM, Prather AA, Epel ES, Mendes WB. Acute and Chronic Stress Associations With Blood Pressure: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study on an App-Based Platform. Psychosom Med. 2023 Sep 1;85(7):585-595. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001224. Epub 2023 Jun 27. PMID: 37363963; PMCID: PMC10527536.
4. Yang S, Zhou Z, Miao H, Zhang Y. Effect of weight loss on blood pressure changes in overweight patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2023 May;25(5):404-415. doi: 10.1111/jch.14661. Epub 2023 May 4. PMID: 37141231; PMCID: PMC10184479.
Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD, is a registered dietitian and owner of Sound Bites Nutrition in Cincinnati. She shares her clinical, culinary, and community nutrition knowledge through cooking demos, teaching, and freelance writing. Lisa is a regular contributor to Food and Health Communications and Today’s Dietitian and is the author of the Healing Gout Cookbook, Complete Thyroid Cookbook, and Heart Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook. Her line of food pun merchandise, Lettuce beet hunger, supports those suffering food insecurity in Cincinnati. For more information,
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