The Guardian: Could the secret to lifelong health be … staying still? It sounds counterintuitive, but in a recent study, researchers assessing 270 randomised controlled clinical trials (involving more than 15,000 participants) found that isometric exercises, in which muscles are working but remain motionless, were more effective than a range of other options for reducing blood pressure.
To be clear, aerobic exercise training, dynamic resistance training, combined training and high-intensity interval training all helped, compared with non-exercise control interventions. But isometrics were most likely to reduce blood pressure, with full-body movements such as the wall squat showing bigger benefits than moves such as hand-gripping or leg extensions. The first obvious question is: why? Followed by: how do I use this information? To answer the first bit: isometric exercises are likely to cause the greatest increase in blood pressure during the exercise, when muscles are contracted and blood vessels narrow. When you stop doing them, of course, those same blood vessels relax – something researchers theorise might lead to improved blood flow regulation in the long run. As for the second question, here’s how to incorporate isometric training into your week – whatever your fitness level.
How to use these workouts
Each set of moves below – beginner, intermediate and advanced – contains exercises designed to work the most important muscle groups of the body.