Can you reduce blood pressure without getting out of your chair? It may be possible—if you do some exercise while you sit.
Isometric exercise training (IET) involves contracting muscles, either on their own or against something immovable like a wall or floor. IET doesn’t cause muscles to change their length by much and doesn’t cause joints to move.
IET may help reduce blood pressure in healthy people, research shows. Squeezing a hand grip and doing wall squats are two examples of IET exercises that have been shown to be beneficial for lowering blood pressure.
How blood pressure works
Blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure of blood against the walls of blood vessels as the heart pumps and moves the blood to other parts of the body. It’s written using two numbers—systolic blood pressure, or the pressure in the blood vessels at the time of the heartbeat, and diastolic blood pressure, or the pressure in between heartbeats.
A healthy blood pressure measurement is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg). Consistently high blood pressure, or hypertension, can put you at risk for a variety of serious health issues. Most health care providers (HCPs) and the American Heart Association define high blood pressure as consistently 130/80 mmHg or higher.
An effective exercise mode
IET can be done anytime, anywhere, and it doesn't require you to bend or lift. This gives it an advantage over other types of exercise that may require special gear, clothing, or access to workout spaces.
A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis of 270 studies published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine looked at different exercise types to see which ones were effective at lowering resting blood pressure.
Researchers found that IET more effectively lowered both systolic and diastolic blood pressure than any of the other modes of exercise in the study, including aerobic exercise (which makes your heart and breathing rate go up), dynamic resistance (which moves joints and tenses muscles, such as squats and push-ups), and high-intensity interval training (which is short periods of intense activity alternated with less intense periods). And they noted that this was consistent with an earlier 2013 systematic review, which had found similar results when it looked at IET.
Studies published between 2000 to 2020 show that doing IET for four weeks or longer is tied to lower blood pressure in people with hypertension, but scientists don’t know exactly why, according to a 2021 review published in the International Journal of Exercise Science.
Safety concerns for those with high blood pressure
It's important to note that for people who already have hypertension, or for those with heart disease, IET could cause a potentially dangerous spike in blood pressure during the actual exercise.
However, a 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Hypertension Research found evidence that IET is safe and effective. Still, people with high blood pressure should speak with an HCP before beginning any exercise program, including IET.
People with poorly controlled blood pressure and other health issues will need specific guidance. They should ask their HCP about the type of exercise, how many muscles are involved, how long to rest between exercises, and how many repetitions should be done. Research suggests that IET is likely to be safe when carefully configured by an expert to meet the needs and limits of people with high blood pressure, and when done at a low intensity level.
For more ways to reduce blood pressure safely and effectively:
- Keep tabs. Learn why accurate blood pressure monitoring is so important.
- Limit salt. Use this easy-to-use cheat sheet for low-sodium cooking.
- Walk. Walking may quickly lower your blood pressure.
Sources: Hansford HJ, Parmenter BJ, McLeod KA, et... + 4
- Hansford HJ, Parmenter BJ, McLeod KA, et al. The effectiveness and safety of isometric resistance training for adults with high blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hypertens Res. 2021 Nov;44(11):1373-1384.
- Edwards JJ, Deenmamode AHP, Griffiths M, et al. Exercise training and resting blood pressure: a large-scale pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023;57:1317-1326.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About High Blood Pressure. Page accessed September 23, 2024.
- Laskowski, Edward. “Are isometric exercises a good way to build strength?” Mayo Clinic. November 18, 2023.
- Rickson JJ, Maris SA, Headley SAE. Isometric Exercise Training: A Review of Hypothesized Mechanisms and Protocol Application in Persons with Hypertension. Int J Exerc Sci. 2021 Nov 1;14(2):1261-1276.
