Acute, subacute and chronic blood pressure adjustments to resistance exercise

Abstract

Objective: To investigate acute, subacute and chronic cardiovascular changes to resistance exercise (RE). Method: A survey was conducted in SciELO, Medline and PubMed indexers using the keywords: hypertension, blood pressure, postexercise hypotension, resistance exercise, strength exercise and resistance training. Twenty seven articles published in the last 25 years were considered for this review. Results: The RE can promote acute, subacute and chronic changes in blood pressure (BP) that are mainly influenced by exercise intensity, number of exercises and involved muscle mass. Furthermore, the role of RE on BP reduction is still unclear, especially in hypertensive patients. Conclusion: The RE performed in properly intensity and with professional supervision, provides musculoskeletal improvement and can reduce or maintain BP levels. Thus, the RE should not be overlooked in physical training programs for health.