Effects of treadmill running and resistance exercises on lowering blood pressure during the daily work of hypertensive subjects.

The purposes of this study were to compare the hypotensive effects of treadmill running (TR) and resistance exercise (RE) performed by hypertensive subjects and to verify if the hypotensive effects of these exercises are maintained during a regular white-collar workday. Fifteen white-collar workers (42.9 +/- 1.6 years), treated with antihypertensive medication, accomplished three different sessions: 20 minutes of TR (approximately 70-80% of heart rate reserve), 20 minutes of circuit training RE (20 repetitions at 40% of 1 repetition maximum), and a control session without exercise (CON). The systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic BP, heart rate, and blood lactate were measured at resting (Rest) and after sessions at 15th (R15), 30th (R30), 45th (R45), and 60th (R60) min, as well as after lunch (AL), four (R4h) and seven (R7h) hours of recovery at the participants' workplace. In relation to rest, a higher decrease of systolic BP after TR (-11.1 +/- 7.6 mm Hg) and RE (-12.6 +/- 7.3 mm Hg) was observed respectively at the R30 and R45. For diastolic BP, the highest decreases after TR (-4.0 +/- 6.4 mm Hg) and RE (-9.0 +/- 7.0 mm Hg) were observed respectively at the R45 and R30. The systolic BP and mean BP after TR and RE differed significantly from CON session (p < 0.05), and lower post-exercise values could be observed over the workday. In conclusion, both 20 minutes of TR and RE resulted in postexercise hypotension, and were able to reduce BP throughout 7 hours after exercise, even throughout the subject's regular occupational activities. Also, the RE promoted higher cardiac protection and can be a useful model of physical exercise prescription for hypertension individuals.