How Type of Exercise Affects Blood Pressure

The answer is partly determined by who you are.

March 26, 2013

"Get some exercise" is a common prescription for people looking to prevent or treat high blood pressure. But what type of exercise is most effective for doing so?

That was the question guiding a recently published analysis of existing studies on exercise and blood pressure. Published by the American Heart Association, the analysis surveyed 93 trials that lasted at least four weeks and documented the effects of various types of exercise on resting blood pressure.

The researchers doing the analysis classified exercise as dynamic aerobic (e.g., running, biking, etc.), dynamic resistance (using force to contract muscles while the muscles' lengths change, such as when lifting weights or doing push-ups), and isometric exertion (sustaining contraction against an immovable force or object without altering muscle length, such as when doing hand-grip exercises).

Supporting the idea that any exercise is better than no exercise, the analysis found that all three types significantly lower blood pressure, both in people who don't yet have hypertension and in people who have high blood pressure. Moreover, all three types consistently lower systolic blood pressure (the higher number in readings, a measure of blood pressure when the heart is beating) and diastolic blood pressure (the lower number in readings, a measure of blood pressure between heartbeats).

There were, however, some nuances in the results. The researchers said their analysis indicates that isometric exercise might be most effective in lowering systolic blood pressure, although they cautioned that they didn't look at enough data to categorically assert so.

They also said that, for people who already have hypertension, aerobic exercise appears to be more effective than dynamic resistance exercise. Men seem to get a greater blood-pressure-lowering effect from aerobic exercise than do women, the researchers said.

Moderate- to high-intensity aerobic exercise appears to be more effective than low-intensity aerobic activity, the researchers said. In addition, the researchers said, the weight loss often associated with starting an aerobic exercise program might increase that form of exercise's role in lowering blood pressure.