Study Five
We have recently analyzed data on 2,776 men and women (ages 21 - 80 years) who have participated in our 2-month circuit strength training program over the past several years (10, 14). As shown in Figure 5, the subjects involved in this research significantly reduced their mean resting systolic blood pressure by 4.0 mmHg and their mean resting diastolic blood pressure by 2.2 mmHg.
Study Six
Although the participants in this research study performed about 25 minutes of strength training and about 25 minutes of aerobic activity (treadmill walking, stationary cycling) each session, a later study with 77 senior golf enthusiasts elicited similar blood pressure responses following 8 weeks of circuit strength training alone (13).
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Figure 5. Mean changes in resting systolic and diastolic blood pressures after two months of combined strength and endurance exercise (N=2776).
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The golfers' mean systolic pressure decreased 7.4 mmHg (140.9 to 133.5 mmHg) and their mean diastolic pressure dropped 2.7 mmHg (83.2 to 80.5 mmHg) over the two-month training period.
Summary
Although some research has revealed unacceptably high blood pressure responses in bodybuilders performing maximum weight inverted leg presses (5), there is essentially no evidence that standard strength training protocols produce adverse effects on participants' blood pressure (2,3,4). The six studies presented here support this thesis. The first two studies showed safe systolic pressure responses during performance of a 10 repetition-maximum exercise set (35% to 50% above resting level).
The third and fourth studies revealed favorable blood pressure readings following a circuit of standard strength exercises, with progressively better responses over the course of a 10-week training program.
The fifth study showed significant reductions in resting blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) in thousands of participants of all ages after 2 months of combined strength and endurance exercise.
Never hold your breath when performing resistance exercise.
The final study revealed similar resting blood pressure reductions for subjects who did strength training alone. It would, therefore, appear that sensible strength training does not have detrimental effects on blood pressure in medically cleared men and women between 21 and 80 years of age. In fact, to the contrary, it seems that properly performed resistance exercise can produce beneficial blood pressure adaptations in as little as 8 weeks of regular strength training.
Guidelines For Sensible Strength Training
- Use weight loads that can be performed with correct exercise technique for at least 8 controlled repetitions.
- Keep the weight load moving throughout each exercise set, taking about 2 seconds for the lifting actions and about 4 seconds for the lowering actions. Never hold your weight load in a static muscle contraction.
- Keep breathing throughout each exercise set, exhaling during the lifting actions and inhaling during the lowering actions. Never hold your breath when performing resistance exercise.
- Use relatively loose hand grips whenever possible.
- Keep your face and neck muscles as relaxed as possible throughout each set of exercise.
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