Got high blood pressure? Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that the humble wall squat is the best move to get it in check. The study analyzed data from 270 randomized controlled trials involving 15,827 participants to compare the blood pressure-reducing effects of five different types of exercise: isometric, aerobic, strength training, cross-training, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
They found that isometric exercises—which involve contracting muscles and holding them under tension—were most effective at reducing resting blood pressure. The researchers theorized that isometric exercises work best because static muscle contractions temporarily reduce blood flow to muscles, which surges back once the contraction is released. This relaxes blood vessels and helps regulate circulation.
Of the three types of isometric exercises reviewed in the study, wall squats proved more effective than isometric leg extension and hand-grip exercises, lowering systolic blood pressure (the top number) by an average of 10 points and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 5 points. For best results, the study’s lead author, Jamie J. Edwards, Ph.D, of Canterbury Christ Church University in England, recommends doing four 2-minute rounds of wall squats three times a week. In addition to blood pressure benefits, this efficient 16-minute practice will strengthen your core, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and claves.
How to Do It
1. Stand with your back pressed against a wall and your feet hip-width apart.
2. Walk your feet about 2 feet away from the wall.
3. Bend your knees and slide your back down the wall until your legs form a 90-degree angle, as if you were sitting in a chair.
4. Keep your spine flush to the wall and your knees stacked directly over your ankles, not pressing forward over your toes or splaying out to the sides. Hold the squat 2 minutes, gently engaging your core and taking slow, deep breaths.
5. Rest 2 minutes and repeat three more times, for a total of four rounds.
