The exercise that beat cardio for lowering blood pressure across 270 trials
The one thing
Do wall sits.
Holding a muscle still under tension (isometric exercise) beat cardio, weights, and interval training for lowering blood pressure. Wall sits ranked as the single most effective exercise.
Do it today
- Stand with your back against a wall and slide down until your knees are bent, as if sitting in a chair. Go only as low as you can hold.
- Hold for up to two minutes, rest two minutes. Do four rounds.
- Three sessions a week is the usual approach in studies. Planks are another option.
What the study found
Isometric exercise lowered systolic blood pressure by about 8.2 points and diastolic by 4. Cardio lowered systolic by about 4.5, weights by 4.6, and interval training by 4.1.
- Who
- 15,827 people across 270 trials published from 1990 to 2023.
- Type of study
- Large review and network meta-analysis led by Canterbury Christ Church University (UK).
- Keep in mind
- Fewer trials studied isometric exercise than cardio, so its ranking is less certain. Cardio still has benefits wall sits don’t.
Check first: Holding your breath during a wall sit spikes blood pressure. Breathe steadily. If your blood pressure is very high or uncontrolled, ask your doctor first.
Source: Edwards et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023
Educational information, not medical advice. Read our medical disclaimer.