A 30-second exercise routine performed as little as once a week could help lower blood pressure and support longer-term health, according to a new study.
UK researchers followed 100 relatively inactive adults for around four weeks to examine whether isometric exercise—contracting muscles while holding a fixed position—could reduce mildly elevated blood pressure.
During the initial phase, participants completed wall sits about three times a week. The exercise involves lowering into a seated position with the back against a wall and holding it to strengthen the lower body.
After those first four weeks, the researchers assigned participants to different exercise schedules. Some continued wall sits once a week, several times a week or stopped exercising altogether.
Participants who continued the wall sits three times weekly for a further four weeks saw a significant reduction in blood pressure compared with the non-exercising control group.
Although the largest improvements were recorded among those exercising three times a week, even one weekly session produced a meaningful drop in blood pressure.
Experts believe the wall sit creates tension in the legs and core, briefly limiting blood flow. Once the position is released, blood surges through the vessels, prompting the arteries to produce nitric oxide—a gas that helps widen and relax blood vessels.
This response may make the blood vessels more flexible and responsive, reducing the workload on the heart and helping lower blood pressure.
A 30-second exercise performed a few times a week may significantly lower blood pressure, a new study suggests
Because each exercise interval lasts only about 30 seconds, the routine could offer a practical way for people with elevated blood pressure to reduce their risk of heart attack, stroke and heart disease while supporting longevity, the researchers said.
They added that performing the exercise over an extended period could lead to structural changes in blood pressure regulation, potentially allowing some benefits to persist after a person stops exercising.
‘For optimal blood pressure reductions and the maintenance of a broader range of physiological adaptations, a frequency of three times per week may be recommended,’ the researchers, from Canterbury Christ Church University in the UK, wrote.
The findings come as almost half of US adults have high blood pressure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classify the condition as a reading above 130mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) over 80mm Hg, written as 130/80.
Persistently high blood pressure makes the heart work harder and damages artery walls. Over time, this can prevent the heart from pumping blood efficiently throughout the body.
The condition can contribute to coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart failure and irregular heart rhythms known as arrhythmias.
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Published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, the study included 100 adults whose average systolic blood pressure—the top number in a reading—ranged from 120 to 140mm Hg, a level considered slightly elevated.
Men made up about 55 percent of the participants, whose average age was 37. All regularly completed fewer than the federally recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week.
During the first stage, every participant completed three training sessions weekly for four weeks. Each session consisted of four 30-second wall sits, with two-minute rest periods between holds.
For the second stage, participants were divided according to exercise frequency: no exercise after the first phase, once weekly, twice weekly or three times weekly. A separate control group did not perform the wall sits at any point.
Blood pressure was recorded at the start of the study and again after four and eight weeks.
After the initial four weeks, participants lowered their systolic blood pressure by 9.45mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 5.8mm Hg on average.
Mean arterial pressure, the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure, decreased by 6.8mm Hg.
After the second phase, the team found the greatest benefit in people who completed the exercise three times per week for another four weeks. Systolic blood pressure decreased by about 13.7mm Hg.
There was also an average systolic reduction of 6.95mm Hg in the twice weekly group and 6.56mm Hg in those who completed the workout just once per week.
Those who stopped the exercise after the initial four-week phase, meanwhile, lost the benefits they had gained during those first few weeks.
The researchers noted that three times per week was the ideal frequency, though those with only enough time to do the exercise once weekly still saw major benefits.
The team noted that more long-term research is still needed, and they cannot determine if wall sits directly lower blood pressure, though potential benefits are clear.
‘While causality cannot be confirmed, the observed alignment between the mechanistic decline and the loss of blood pressure reduction suggests that training frequency plays a critical role in sustaining the cardiovascular adaptations necessary for blood pressure control following IET,’ the researcher wrote.
‘[The study] may inform policy discussions around feasible, scalable exercise interventions for populations with low adherence or limited exercise tolerance.’