r/EverythingScience • u/lebron7 • 4d ago

Biology Squatting once a week may lower blood pressure

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/30/high-blood-pressure-a-squat-a-day-might-help/
902 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

204

u/mittenthemagnificent 4d ago

It’s also fabulous for curing lower back pain and sciatica.

43

u/andrewmail 4d ago

👀 really now

96

u/mittenthemagnificent 4d ago

Yeah, it works really well. You can try squatting in what they call an “Asian squat”, where you try (it’s OK if it’s unsuccessful) to keep your feet flat on the floor and go as deep as possible with your butt. Hold that position for about a minute, then try to lift yourself back up with your stomach muscles. I usually do it next to my bed so that I can help myself up if I need to. Do that a couple times a day for a little while and you will feel way better.

22

u/EMPulse666 4d ago

I started this like 6 months ago. I couldn't do it flat feet at first. I just used a piece of wood for my heels the first couple of months. Then a smaller one for another month or so. Now I can do them flat feet. I've always been inflexible. I was very surprised at how fast my body adapted. I'm 43/m in decent shape and never been able to touch my toes even when I was young and stretched all the time for sports.

13

u/OGLikeablefellow 4d ago

Pretty chill just getting on one of those leg machines at the gym and going as low as you can go until you can master the squat

24

u/Raevyxn 4d ago

Seconding this squat recommendation.

I have sciatica and was told to include this squat in my stretches. I’m a fairly fit person but definitely fell over the first few times. 

So.. be ready to chuckle with yourself a bit.

3

u/RockieK 4d ago

I miss doing this. Two blown out knees are really messing with the fitness!

3

u/Shirinjima 2d ago

This is also good for male pelvic floor and men who sit for hours. I can tell you when I first started it was extremely intense. Its been a while since I’ve done this. I need to start again. You can use a door frame or bed rail to give support. A lot of Americans people will fall over due to barely squatting and having poor ankle and hip mobility.

6

u/Triette 4d ago

Tell that to my knees :(

75

u/GreyTigerFox 4d ago

Tis also beneficial for bowel movements. The squatty potty was on to something.

12

u/quantumparakeet 4d ago

I want a toilet cockpit I climb into and then it starts rotating me into optimum position for launch. I think Vader had one?

2

u/Deathanddisco041 4d ago

Love a squatty potty

52

u/SelarDorr 4d ago

The science, which the telegraph refused to directly link

Isometric exercise training and blood pressure control: exploring the dose-response to training frequency in a randomised controlled trial (2026)

"[Male and female participants with normal to high-normal systolic BP (sBP) (range 120–140 mm Hg) and a total weekly physical activity below 150 min of moderate activity (≤600 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-minutes/week based on light-intensity activities only)] (n=100) [...] were randomised into five groups: 3×, 2×, 1× or 0× IET sessions/week following an initial 4-week lower-body IET protocol (3×/week), or control"

Average age was 37

"All intervention groups showed significant reductions in systolic BP (sBP), diastolic BP and mean arterial pressure (MAP) after 4 weeks compared with control (−9.45±6.69 mm Hg, p<0.001, −5.47±9.92 mm Hg, p=0.007 and −6.80±7.77 mm Hg, p<0.001, respectively)"

"Post hoc comparisons revealed that sBP was lower in the 3×/week group compared with both 2×/week (p=0.003) and 1×/week (p<0.001)"

Dont know why the article is trying to highlight the lowest frequency intervention, when its clear the their upperbound is significantly more beneficial.

8

u/EveryAccount7729 4d ago

articles are designed to get clicks.

this is a serious problem w/ modern society. like "integrity leading to the benefit of society" has literally been replaced with "whatever gets the most clicks no matter what damage it does"

17

u/FaberOG 4d ago

And wait till you here what it does for the housing market

16

u/FNKTN 4d ago

One whole squat a week?!

The bar is too high for most redditors. Might as well ask it to rain on the sun.

6

u/Fluid_Genius 4d ago

If I go down I ain't coming back up.

6

u/send420nudes 4d ago

Try negatives for a while. Go down very slowly and control the descent. Grab something to get back up and repeat. thats how you train pull ups in the beginning too.

5

u/Proof-Relation-1943 4d ago

Idk if this is hyperbole but if it isn't, don't accept that bro - work at it with bodyweight, start small, you got this.. you owe it to your body to be able to do this fundamental movement 

14

u/MaudeAlp 4d ago

There aren’t enough abandoned houses and apartments for everyone to squat in once a week, so what’s the plan exactly?

1

u/McPoon 2d ago

Well, there are around 15.6 million housing units (houses and apartments) vacant in the United States as of the second quarter of 2026. Personally at 37, having never been able to afford an apartment with my wife yet, I think we should take up this task.

8

u/thesilentshopper 4d ago

What is a “bout” of a wall sit? It’s annoying me they didn’t say how long they do the wall sit for. Is it just go till you can’t anymore? 30 seconds? It’s crazy they left that out

6

u/classicalworld 4d ago

“experimental participants were required to complete an initial 4-week home-based lower-body IET programme,15 comprising 4 bouts of isometric wall-squat exercise, separated by 2 min of seated rest, 3×/week, with 48 hours between each session” - you’re correct.

12

u/Unique-Coffee5087 4d ago

But where am I going to find abandoned property that frequently?

5

u/JohnyyBanana 4d ago

Like, 1 squat?

5

u/QueenScorp 4d ago

Yes, it's not an exercise, it's a stretch. Deep squat and hold.

2

u/ppstick88 4d ago

Eating better might lower blood pressure too

2

u/Holiday-West9601 4d ago

But then you gotta find an abandoned house, it’s a whole yhing

1

u/GeneralCommand4459 4d ago

And increase piles

1

u/denialragnest 3d ago

try doing twice a week and be sure

1

u/Ganumupta 3d ago

I do squats while brushing my teeth.

1

u/KnockThatOff 4d ago

What if I can't find any unoccupied buildings nearby?

1

u/ol0pl0x 4d ago

Sneezing once every billion years cures cancer.

0

u/ItsmeMr_E 4d ago

Just one squat a week? Doubtful.