A Comparison of the Immediate Effects of Resistance, Aerobic, and Concurrent Exercise on Postexercise Hypotension

Abstract

A comparison of the immediate effects of resistance, aerobic, and concurrent exercise on postexercise hypotension. The influence of resistance exercise (RE), aerobic exercise (AE), and concurrent exercise (CE) on postexercise hypotension (PEH) is not known. We investigated the immediate blood pressure (BP) lowering effects of exercise after RE, AE, and CE sessions among healthy subjects. Twenty-one men (20.7 ± 0.7 years) performed 4 experimental sessions each in a within-subject design: control (CTL-seated rest for 60 minutes), RE (3 sets at 80% 1RM for 8 exercises, including upper and lower limbs), AE (7-minutes warm-up followed by 50 minutes of cycle ergometer exercise at 65% VO₂peak and 3-minute cooldown), and CE (2 sets at 80% 1RM for 6 exercises among those which composed the RE session, plus 20 minutes of cycle ergometer exercise at 65% VO₂peak, 7-minute warm-up and 3-minute cooldown, exactly in this order). The total duration of each exercise session was approximately 60 minutes. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were assessed by ambulatory monitoring at rest (20 minutes) and every 10 minutes after the exercise during 120 minutes while in the laboratory. The duration of the decrease in SBP was longer after AE and CE (120 minutes) compared to RE (80 minutes); and for DBP after AE (50 minutes) compared to CE (40 minutes) and RE (20 minutes) (p < 0.05). The magnitude of the decrease in SBP and DBP was similar after all exercise sessions and significantly different from CTL (p < 0.05) (SBP: RE = 4.1 ± 2.0 mm Hg, AE = 6.3 ± 1.3 mm Hg, CE = 5.1 ± 2.2 mm Hg; DBP: RE = 1.8 ± 1.1 mm Hg, AE = 1.8 ± 1.0 mm Hg, CE = 1.6 ± 0.6 mm Hg). It was concluded that exercise sessions combining aerobic and resistance activities are as effective as AE sessions and more effective than RE sessions to promote PEH.