The effect of a single session of isometric handgrip exercise on blood pressure

Abstract

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether a session of isometric handgrip (IHG) exercise can influence the blood pressure of hypertensive and normotensive individuals. OBJECTIVE: To compare post exercise hypotension among groups with different resting blood pressure (BP) levels. METHODS: 56 Malay male volunteers (12 normotensive, 14 pre-hypertensive, 19 hypertensive stage 1, and 11 hypertensive stage 2) completed four sets of 2-minute isometric handgrip exercises at 30% of their maximum handgrip contraction with a one-minute break between the sets. Systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), resting heart rate (RHR), and handgrip strength (HGS) were measured before and after an hour of IHG exercise. A paired sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and two-way repeated measure ANCOVA were used to examine the data. RESULTS: All parameters, except RHR and PP, were significantly changed following the exercise across the BP groups. The SBP, MAP, and HGS were greatly reduced among hypertensive stage 1 (SBP =-6.3 ± 0.6 mmHg; MAP =-4.8 ± 1.1 mmHg; HGS =-6.8 ±-0.4 mmHg) compared to other groups. Meanwhile, the most DBP was reduced among hypertensive stage 2 (mean =-5.2 ± 0.6 mmHg). CONCLUSIONS: The current study discovered a significant reduction in BP among hypertensive stage 1 and 2 individuals after a session of IHG exercise.