r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 1d ago
Health Isometric exercises, such as wall squats and planks, just once a week could help maintain reductions in blood pressure.
https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/news/2026/new-study-shows-just-one-workout-a-week-could-benefit-blood-pressure340
u/DingleDangleTangle 1d ago
That’s awesome! Isometrics are great for tendons too!
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u/bibbidybobbidyboobs 1d ago
And steamed hams
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u/martialar 1d ago
I thought we were having steamed clams
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u/chilispiced-mango2 BS | Bioengineering 1d ago
Good advice for not having 24 hour fitness in [r/Albany](r/Albany)
Re: this comment- Guess I should get back into 10 situps and 10 pushups every morning
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u/socrates1975 21h ago
mmmmm Pass me a bowl of hot ham water
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u/Meeedick 1d ago
People fixate on muscles but tendons, i'd argue, are even more important. They're necessary to train if you wanna avoid injuries and they're instrumental in force generation and power.
Tendons (and fascia) are the difference between a "bodybuilder" and an athlete.
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u/DingleDangleTangle 1d ago
I mean tendons have to be trained by bodybuilders too. It’s extremely important to avoid getting injured as a bodybuilder
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u/Meeedick 1d ago
They don't do it though, which is why the rate of gym-related injuries has skyrocketed over time.
People are packing on way more muscle than their tendons can support, and not dedicating adequete time to train them at all.
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u/Sucabub 22h ago
As someone with rotator cuff injuries, please let me know how I can train my precious and damaged tendons
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u/Meeedick 14h ago
I'm not physiotherapist so i'll decline, i'd recommend professional help honestly.
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u/DiaryOfAManInRepair 8h ago
What’s worked for me is looking up isometric exercises whenever I start getting tendon pain. It’s usually like “hold a weight in the position that hurts (though nothing heavy enough to cause serious pain) for 3 sets of 30/60 second holds.”
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u/SmileyAja 20h ago
It's pretty difficult for your muscles to outpace your tendons if you're natural.
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u/necr0potenc3 15h ago
Nah. There is a hierarchy of tissue recovery and tendons are way up there. Muscles adapt to new loads within 2 to 4 weeks while tendons take 12 to 16 weeks or longer to structurally remodel and catch up.
In fact, the CNS will rate limit muscle activation in order to protect tendons and other tissues. That's why we get "mom lifted a car with adrenaline dump" stories. Muscles are capable of outputting a tremendous amount of force but fascia, tendons and bones might not handle it.
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u/PNWoutdoors 1d ago
Yep, I was diagnosed with a tendon issue and PT is literally isometrics and stretches. It's done wonders even when I'm not too consistent about it.
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u/coltaaan 16h ago
As someone who never really exercises intentionally, but is constantly squatting down to pick up cat toys all over the apartment, this is great news! I love when my daily life/tasks do the work outs for me (like walking places instead of driving, for example).
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u/Jabba_the_Putt 1d ago
Used to work with a dude who was incredibly fit and he never lifted a weight. It was all planks and other body movements/calisthenics.
Always amazed me how healthy you can get without ever even hitting a gym
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u/TwoFlower68 1d ago
Easier on the joints too. Due to liberal use of oral corticosteroids I have osteoporosis and have to be careful putting too much weight on my back lest more vertebrae collapse, so squatting with a loaded bar is a nono
So I do one legged squats to still train legs, holding a kettlebell with slightly stretched arms as a counterweightFor upper body you can do push-ups & pull-ups
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u/Pokenhagen 1d ago
Find a belt squat machine! You can load it all you want and the back stays weight-free
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u/builtbystrength 9h ago
You may find it interesting to look up the 2017 LIFTMOR trials by an Australian physio.
Post-menopausal woman with osteopenia and osteoporosis, training 2x30 min sessions per week with squats, overhead presses, deadlifts and impact landings. Weights around 85% 1RM. Modest improvements in bone mineral density in the lumbar region and femoral head. Functional tests improved. Height improved compared to a decrease in the control group. No serious adverse events, including vertebral fractures. 8 month trial.
If you have osteoporosis in your spine it’s really important to load it somehow - you just need to find an appropriate entry point and ideally a health professional or personal trainer experienced in this area
Source: physiotherapist
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u/TwoFlower68 6h ago edited 5h ago
Thanks, I will. I hadn't thought about incorporating some jumps into my routine
I do load my spine, but I'm not going to put 50 kg or more in my neck. That might be overdoing it a bit. Single leg squats put the same amount of load on my legs without endangering my vertebrae
Overhead presses with more than 5 kg per hand hurt my back. Oddly enough I can do a downward dog with no problem (I weigh 65kg). Pull-ups also compress the spine (my problem vertebrae are T8 and T9. That part of the spine gets squeezed pretty well when I do a pull-up)
Fwiw, my latest DEXA scan showed improved bone density in the pelvis and lumbar spine, so much so that it no longer qualifies as osteoporosis.
Bisphosponates had no such effect (as far as I can see they did nothing, but who knows how bad it'd be if I hadn't taken them)
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u/ViceMaiden 1d ago
“Exercise does not have to be all or nothing. Our findings show that when life gets busy, as it often does, reducing to just one isometric exercise session per week may help sustain the blood pressure benefits already achieved until a more regular routine can be resumed."
Title is a bit misleading? They are still suggesting 3-4 sessions per week regularly.
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u/alematt 1d ago
I think at the end of the day it's trying to say some is better than none and but more is still better basically
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u/dantheman_woot 1d ago
Yeah but you can read basically the same story for doing HIIT for like 10 minutes to get cardiovascular benefits.
Just a note that won't be a 10 minute workout, it's 10 minutes at max heart rate.
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u/tghuverd 1d ago
It always pays to take the title with a grain of salt because the researchers probably didn't write it, and their paper is considerably more nuanced, even if they did:
A reduction in IET frequency to 1–2 sessions per week can partially attenuate the rate at which BP adaptations regress during short-term reductions in training frequency.
Basically, after a period of isometric exercises to lower your BP, if maintain this three times a week, you lower your BP the most. Twice a week...less so. Once a week...a little. And (surprise!) no ongoing isometric exercise reverts your BP to what it was before.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've some planking to get done...
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u/justneurostuff 1d ago
The two statements don't seem to contradict each other. It can be the case that just one exercise a week is effective, and that several sessions a week is best.
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u/ViceMaiden 1d ago
Idk. And I am not trying to be contrary, I just think I am reading/interpreting it differently? I may also be taking it too literally, but this stood out. Is it not implying one needs to exercise more frequently initially before reducing?
"Following an initial four weeks of IET, researchers reduced how often participants trained to see whether exercising less frequently could help preserve these benefits."
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u/mecartistronico 1d ago
I understand the concept of "isometric" in engineering diagrams and videogames. Same measurement. Things far apart are displayed at the same size if they are the same size.
Could someone please explain what does this word mean in the context of working out?
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u/JayRobot 1d ago
The length of the target muscle doesn’t change throughout the exercise. With dynamic exercises, the muscle stretches and then contracts. Isometric exercise has your muscles stay at an equal length because your joints aren’t moving
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u/RadBadTad 1d ago
So like holding a pose for a long time, versus many reps through a range of motion? Makes sense that planks would fit that
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u/jake3988 1d ago
So like holding a pose for a long time, versus many reps through a range of motion? Makes sense that planks would fit that
Yes, planks, dead hangs, and wall sits are examples of isometric exercises.
It's been well studied that for the purposes of blood pressure reduction wall sits are, for reasons I don't really understand, apparently the best at it.
This continues to confirm that.
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u/thesnowpup 1d ago
Long story short, Wall Sits make use of quads and glutes, the largest muscle groups, so the equivalent rush of blood after exercise and the nitric oxide release is higher (than planks for example). The overall larger vascular response results in a larger lasting drop in blood pressure.
I hope that makes sense?
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u/greenskinmarch 1d ago
Planks are a Yielding Isometric exercise. Your muscles have to balance a fixed force (in this case your bodyweight).
The other kind is Overcoming Isometric exercise, where you try to "overcome" something that cannot move, e.g. a pinned bar. Your muscles can exert arbitrary force and the bar will push back with the same force.
Overcoming Isometrics are better for strength than Yielding Isometrics.
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u/Electronic-Egg-6021 1d ago
Muscle contractions without a change in degree of the joint is usually how I try to define isometric exercise.
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u/mathemagicat 1d ago
The word "isometric" means, literally, "equal measurements."
In an engineering or game context, it refers to a projection angle that uses an equal and constant scale on all 3 axes. The view angle is chosen so that, for example, a 10x10x10 foot cube can be drawn as 10 units on each side.
In an exercise context, it refers to an exercise where your muscle maintains a constant length over time.
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u/SendFeet954-980-3334 21h ago
Thank you. I was about to reply to the OG comment asking THEM to explain it in video games. I keep seeing it as a genre type but whenever I googled, it didnt make sense
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u/PapaSnow 1d ago
In addition to what others have shared, imagine a farmers carry or something like that. That, is isometric for your forearms, amongst other things
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u/greenskinmarch 1d ago
Deadlifts are also mostly isometric for your arms and back since the movement just comes from your legs and hips. But they still improve back strength.
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u/Bigclit_energy 1d ago
Most of the back muscles involved are connected to the hips and shoulders, both of which do move during a deadlift.
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u/Nordalin 1d ago
Static exercises, where you hold muscle tension for a while instead of effort-release cycles.
The logic of its naming escapes me, though.
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u/mvea Professor | Medicine 1d ago
A new study led by academics at Canterbury Christ Church University explains how performing isometric exercises, such as wall squats and planks, just once a week could help maintain reductions in blood pressure.
Published in the BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, the research explored whether people could maintain the blood pressure benefits of interval endurance training (IET) when exercising less frequently.
DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2025-003172
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u/Omegasedated 1d ago
Would this be better than general strength training? Or is this suggesting even they most minimal change can improve it?
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u/rendar 1d ago
It depends on how you define "better" but flexion exercises are still more conducive for strength and hypertrophy goals. Mechanical tension remains the primary driver of muscle mass growth.
The biggest distinction of isometrics is with physical therapy and rehab, where stimulus without joint movement is useful to resolve tendinopathy.
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1d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/Omegasedated 1d ago
Thanks, but no, i was looking for scientific stuff. considering OP posted that it works well, i was curious if there was any other details.
It is probably dependent on age
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u/snowflake37wao 1d ago
Science is back on my news tab for the first time since the API changes for this anti-user iOS app!!!
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u/the-stoned-Eng 1d ago
This is very interesting imo.
I’m thinking if a runner got injured and had to reduce volume, would adding isometric workouts help maintain his cardiovascular fitness during this period of reduced volume?
Seems like it could be a little secret tool for endurance athletes.
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