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You don't need to hit the gym every day to keep your blood pressure down. A new study found that doing wall squats just once or twice a week helped adults maintain meaningful reductions in systolic blood pressure. Three sessions per week, though, delivered the biggest and most sustained gains.
You don't need a packed schedule to keep your blood pressure in check. A new randomized controlled trial published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine found that isometric exercises — think wall squats, planks, and handgrip holds — performed as infrequently as once a week can help maintain short-term blood pressure reductions in adults with normal to high-normal systolic blood pressure.
In the study, 100 adults first completed a four-week program of wall squats three times per week. After that, participants were split into groups with varying maintenance frequencies. Those who kept up three weekly sessions saw the greatest improvements, while once- and twice-weekly exercisers still held onto meaningful gains. Participants who stopped exercising entirely saw their blood pressure benefits fade.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: For patients who struggle with exercise adherence, even a single weekly session of isometric exercise may offer a practical, low-barrier way to preserve cardiovascular benefits — a key insight for primary care providers counseling patients on lifestyle modifications for blood pressure management.
