Research
Study finds weekly wall squats can help maintain blood pressure gains
In an eight-week study, wall squats once or twice a week maintained systolic blood pressure reductions, while three weekly sessions produced the largest reduction.
A study of 100 adults found that wall squats performed once or twice a week helped maintain some blood pressure improvements over a short period. Participants had normal to high-normal blood pressure and had not been diagnosed with hypertension. They first did four two-minute wall squat holds, three times a week for four weeks, then followed assigned schedules for another four weeks.
After the initial training, all exercise groups showed significant improvements compared with a control group. At eight weeks, the once- and twice-weekly groups maintained significant reductions in systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure, but not diastolic blood pressure. The group that kept exercising three times a week had an average systolic reduction of 13.73 mmHg from the study’s start. The researchers said the maintenance phase lasted only four weeks and longer studies are needed to assess whether the benefits last.
