Heart Health
The best strength-building exercise to lower blood pressure?
Exercise that engages your muscles without movement — such as wall squats and planks — may help lower blood pressure. But traditional physical activity is important, too.
- Reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Aerobic exercise involves moving the largest muscles of your body in a rhythmic, repetitive pattern — think brisk walking, running, cycling, and swimming. It's long been considered the best type of activity to lower blood pressure. But growing evidence shows that strength training can also reduce blood pressure. According to a new study, the most effective type involves contracting your muscles without any movement, which is known as isometric or static exercise (see "Muscle-strengthening activity: Types, terms, and examples").
Published October 2023 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the study pooled findings from 270 clinical trials involving a total of more than 15,000 people. All the trials lasted at least two weeks and reported the effects of exercise on blood pressure. As expected, most types of exercise helped lower blood pressure. But the most effective workout, especially in people who had high blood pressure, was isometric exercise training.
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About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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