Health · Fitness & Nutrition · 8 hrs ago
Isometric exercise may help lower blood pressure, study finds
A study of 100 adults found isometric exercise may help lower blood pressure.
Isometric exercises hold muscles in a fixed position, as in a wall squat or plank, rather than moving joints through a range.
Participants exercised three times a week for four weeks, then either kept that schedule, cut back to one or two sessions, or stopped for four more weeks.
Those who kept exercising three times weekly had the best systolic-pressure results, while those who reduced their sessions retained some benefits.
Systolic pressure is the force in the arteries when the heart contracts, and the researchers say repeated muscle contractions may help blood vessels relax.
The findings do not show that one session a week is enough to start, because that schedule was tested only after four weeks of more frequent exercise.
The study did not include people diagnosed with high blood pressure, and it does not establish that the effects last over the long term.
Three sessions a week remains a reasonable reference for a guided program, while isometric exercise can complement activities such as walking, cycling, swimming and strength training.
A study found that isometric exercise may help lower blood pressure, with three sessions a week producing the best results.
The study followed 100 adults who did isometric exercises three times a week for four weeks.
For the next four weeks, participants either continued at that rate, reduced their sessions to one or two a week, or stopped.
Those who reduced their training retained some benefits, while those who continued three times weekly had the strongest results for systolic blood pressure.
The study did not include people diagnosed with hypertension, and the article says more evidence is needed about reduced training frequency and longer-term effects.
- Who
- Researchers followed 100 adults. Their systolic blood pressure was between 120 and 140 mmHg, and they were not taking medication to control it.
- What
- A study found that isometric exercise may help lower blood pressure. Three sessions a week had the best results for systolic blood pressure.
- When
- The study was published on November 10, 2026. Participants trained for four weeks, followed by four weeks in which training frequency varied.
- Where
- The study was published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. The article does not state where the study was conducted.
- Why
- Sustained muscle contractions and subsequent relaxation may promote changes in blood vessels and the nervous system that help reduce blood pressure.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The 100 participants did isometric exercises three times a week.
Participants continued at three sessions a week, reduced training to one or two sessions, or stopped.
Folha published its report on the study.
- Participants
- 100 adults
- Initial training period
- Four weeks at three sessions per week
- Follow-up period
- Four weeks
- Best results
- Three isometric exercise sessions per week
- Participants’ systolic blood pressure
- 120–140 mmHg
- Study journal
- BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine
What people are saying
With the repetition of training, this mechanism can improve the vessels’ ability to relax and reduce resistance to blood flow, contributing to lower blood pressure at rest
The combination of these vascular and nervous adaptations seems to explain part of the benefit, although the role of each mechanism is still under investigation
They did not test whether starting directly with one session a week would produce the same result. For that reason, three sessions weekly, on alternate days, remain a reasonable reference for a supervised program
It can complement an exercise routine. Walking, cycling, swimming and muscle-strengthening exercises remain important for cardiovascular health and offer benefits beyond blood pressure control