Pressure response after resistance exercise for different body segments in hypertensive people.

BACKGROUND: Resistance exercise has now been recommended as adjunct component of aerobic exercise on physical training program directed to the treatment and control of hypertension (HBP). However, it has not been widely incorporated yet into clinical practice, possibly by the scarcity of available evidence regarding the safe limits of the acute pressure response in this modality.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the acute effect of progressive resistance exercise of different body segments, the pressure response of patients with controled hypertension (HBP).

METHODS: Twenty-five patients (14 women) with controled hypertension with medication (64.5 ± 10.8 years old) and sedentary, had three visits to a randomic progressive resistance exercise session, in the following muscle groups: femoral quadriceps, latissimus dorsi and brachial biceps. Blood pressure measurements were obtained at all visits at rest, immediately after each series of exercise and after 5 minutes of recovery.

RESULTS: Immediately after acute resistance exercise, a significant increase in systolic blood pressures, without significant changes of diastolic pressure compared to pressure levels at rest for all muscle groups and for all intensities studied. Additionally, there was a greater tendency to elevation of systolic pressure when the femoral quadriceps muscle was exercised at high intensity.

CONCLUSION: Resistance exercise in different body segments promoted similar increases and safe levels of systolic blood pressure, although with a tendency toward greater response of it when large muscle groups at high loads are exercised.