The Number One Exercise for Lowering Blood Pressure

Want to lower your blood pressure? A new study pinpoints exactly what kind of exercise is best for easing blood pressure, and it doesn’t involve running on the treadmill or pumping iron at the gym.

Instead, the study reveals that static isometric exercises like wall sits (also known as wall squats) and planks – which engage muscles without movement – are best for lowering blood pressure. The new analysis, a systematic review of 270 studies published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), confirms that many types of exercise — including aerobic activity, weight training and high-intensity interval training – help to lower blood pressure, but it found that isometric exercises offer the biggest benefit.

Of the exercises examined, the study found the wall sit was the most effective.

It’s long been known that physical activity has blood pressure benefits. Doctors often recommend heart-healthy activities like walking, running and cycling as their top choices for patients with hypertension.

These are still great options for exercise, but the study shows isometric exercises are nearly twice as effective at lowering blood pressure compared to just doing cardio. Study author Jamie O’Driscoll, a researcher in cardiovascular physiology at Christ Canterbury Church University, says he and his colleagues launched the BJSM review because they had seen the blood pressure benefits of isometric exercise firsthand, and they wanted to “draw together the evidence for the wider audience.”

“These findings provide a comprehensive data-driven framework to support the development of new exercise guideline recommendations for the prevention and treatment of arterial hypertension,” O’Driscoll wrote in the review.

What are static isometric exercises?

To perform a static isometric exercise, hold your body in one position until your muscles tire. Examples include wall sits, planks and side planks, glute bridges, and heel raises. Isometric exercises are a great option for older adults because they are low-impact and don’t require any special equipment, says Meredith Dobrosielski, an exercise physiologist and clinical research coordinator in the division of geriatric medicine at Johns Hopkins University.

“It’s an easily accessible form of exercise that you can do pretty much anywhere,” Dobrosielski says. “You don’t need to go to a gym, you don’t have to spend a lot of time doing it, you just need your body – and the benefits are great.”