You might lace up your sneakers thinking hard cardio is the key to lowering your blood pressure, but lecturer Jamie Edwards from the University of East London may have you slowing down instead. His recently published research spotlights static position exercises like planks and wall sits as the ultimate blood pressure reducers.
Termed “isometric” exercise, these workouts involve muscle contractions without changing the muscle length—think holding steady rather than pulsing or lifting. And sure, they’re great for that lower BP, but Jamie’s in-depth study, which included 270 random trials with a whooping 15,000 participants, shows there’s more heart-pounding goodness where that came from.
His findings?
Circling in at about three sessions weekly, each with four two-minute isometric holds separated by brief rests, can mirror the benefits of typical BP medications. But there’s a bonus: Isometric exercise doesn’t just dial-down your blood pressure.
It amps up your heart health, augments your arteries, and fine-tunes your autonomic nervous system, all while slashing disease risk. That’s enough motivation to hold that plank a little longer, right?, reports Surrey Live.
The science behind isometrics and their effectiveness for cardiovascular health can be complex, but it essentially boils down to the unique nature of holding a static muscle contraction. This action compresses the blood vessels, and when the isometric hold is released, there’s an increase in blood flow to the previously compressed vessels.
Isometrics also play a crucial role in improving joint health. Our ligaments are vital in stabilizing our joints during movement, but they can be injured if subjected to excessive pressure, such as an awkward single-leg landing when jumping.
An Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rupture is one such injury with significant health implications.
However, our muscles help reduce the force exerted on our ligaments by creating stability around a joint. Research indicates that training specific muscle groups through isometric exercises can help alleviate pressure on certain ligaments.
For instance, one study discovered that training the hamstrings (the group of muscles running along the back of your thigh from hip to knee) helped lessen pressure on the ACL, potentially preventing future injuries to this ligament.
Lastly, isometrics can help address muscle imbalances. It’s not uncommon for the muscles on one side of your body to be stronger than those on the other, a phenomenon known as limb dominance.
This imbalance partly occurs due to laterality, which is our tendency to favor one side of the body over the other.
This can also occur as your body adapts to sports or other activities that require skills placing a greater demand on one side of the body, such as football, volleyball, and basketball. While it’s usually not an issue if one side of the body is stronger than the other, it could increase the risk of injury and potentially impact an athlete’s performance.
However, unilateral (one-sided) isometric exercises like split squats or side planks can help balance out strength differences between limbs by targeting one side of the body.
Isometric exercises are effective for improving strength in specific fixed positions. This is because they have the ability to activate very specific muscles or muscle groups.
Isometrics often mimic challenging positions such as the sticking point at the bottom of a squat, maintaining a scrummage in rugby, or removing the lid off a jam jar. This means they can help build the strength required to tolerate the load placed upon the body during exercise, sport, and everyday life.
This may improve athletic performance or physical function in daily life.
Isometric exercises are often used as part of physiotherapy and sports therapy rehabilitation programs for people recovering from musculoskeletal injuries. This is because they can be performed with limited mobility and where pain may be a limiting factor.
Isometric exercises, performed in a static position, can be more tolerable than exercises requiring a lot of movement. This is particularly beneficial for those with limited mobility, who can adjust the exercise to a comfortable position, such as modifying the height of a wall squat due to restricted hip mobility.
Most studies investigating the benefits of isometric exercises for heart health have required participants to do only eight minutes of exercise per session. This typically translates to about four sets of isometric exercises, each held for approximately two minutes, with rest periods of one to four minutes between sets.
Numerous studies also indicate that these exercises need to be performed just three times a week for three weeks to see beneficial changes. This makes isometric exercises an easy fit for even the busiest schedules.
Isometric exercises can be performed virtually anywhere since they only use your body weight to challenge your muscles. If you’re unsure where to start with isometric exercises, good examples include wall squats (pretending like you’re sitting in a chair but with your back pressed against a wall) and planks (resting on your forearms and tip-toes, with your stomach raised above the ground and held level).
It’s also recommended that you consult with a healthcare practitioner before starting your new exercise plan to ensure it’s safe and effective.
Reference:
https://www.themirror.com/lifestyle/fitness/one-type-exercise-lowers-blood-823029
