Table 2.
Prospective randomised controlled trials investigating the effects of isometric exercise training on resting blood pressure
| Randomised controlled trial | Country | Duration (weeks) | Participants | Hypertension (according to baseline BP or medication status) | Included medication | Withdrawal (n. of participants) | Training frequency | Exercise mode | Exercise training characteristics | Pre-IET mean sBP/dBP (mmHg) | Post-IET mean sBP/dBP (mmHg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baddeley-White et al. (2019) [77] | UK | 4 | N = 23 (43% female) | NTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Isoball rugby handgrip/zona plus handgrip | 4 × 2 min, bilateral (alternating hands), 1-min rest interval, 30% MVC (n = 7 isoball, n = 8 zona, n = 8 control) |
Isoball 129.3/70 mmHg Zona Plus 125.5/71.6 mmHg |
Isoball 119.9/65.7 mmHg Zona Plus 114.5/66.6 mmHg |
| Badrov et al. (2013) [67] | Canada | 8 |
N = 32 (100% female) |
NTN | No |
IET 1 Control 3 |
3/5 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, unilateral 4-min rest intervals, 30% MVC (n = 12 3 × per week, n = 11 5 × per week, n = 9 control) |
3 days p/w 94/57 mmHg 5 days p/w 97/57 mmHg |
3 days p/w 88/54 mmHg 5 days p/w 91/57 mmHg |
| Badrov et al. (2013) [180] | Canada | 10 | N = 24 (46% female) | HTN | Yes | None | 3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, bilateral (alternating hands), 1-min rest interval, 30% MVC (n = 12 IET, n = 12 control) | 129/72 mmHg | 121/67 mmHg |
| Baross et al. (2012) [63] | UK | 8 | N = 30 (100% male) | Pre-HTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Leg extension (bilateral) | 4 × 2 min, 2-min rest intervals, 14% MVC (n = 10 at 85%HRpeak, n = 10 at 75%HRpeak, n = 10 control) |
High int 138.7/78.2 mmHg Low 137.3/78.3 mmHg |
High int 127.9/76.6 mmHg Low 136.5/79.4 mmHg |
| Baross et al. (2013) [28] | UK | 8 | N = 20 (100% male) | Pre-HTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Leg extension (bilateral) | 4 × 2 min, 2-min rest intervals (85%HRpeak n = 10 exercise group, n = 10 control) | 139/85 mmHg | 128/83 mmHg |
| Baross et al. (2022) [45] | UK | 8 | N = 25 (36% female) | NTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Leg extension (bilateral) | 4 × 2 min, 2-min rest intervals (n = 13 20% MVC exercise group, n = 12 control) | 123/70.3 mmHg | 118/68.2 mmHg |
| Rodrigues et al. (2019) [76] | Brazil | 12 | N = 72 (67% female) | HTN | Yes |
IET 31 Control 8 |
3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, bilateral (alternating hands), 1-min rest interval (n = 17 30% MVC, n = 16 control) | 135/73 mmHg | 121/66 mmHg |
| Cohen et al. (2022) [68] | Colombia | 12 | N = 77 (33% female) | Pre-HTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Handgrip or wall squat |
Handgrip: 4 × 2 min, 2-min rest intervals (n = 28 30% MVC) Wall squat: 4 × 2 min, 2-min rest intervals (n = 27) 22 controls |
Handgrip: 140/86.7 mmHg Wall squat: 141.2/87 mmHg |
Handgrip: 128.8/82.7 mmHg Wall squat: 128.3/82.9 mmHg |
| Carlson et al. (2016) [25] | Australia | 8 | N = 40 (62.5% female) | HTN | Yes | IET 2 | 3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, unilateral 1-min rest intervals (n = 18 at 30% MVC, n = 20 5% MVC exercise control) | 136/77 mmHg | 129/75 mmHg |
| Correia et al. (2020) [72] | Brazil | 8 | N = 102 (sex unknown) | HTN | Yes | IET 21 Control 2 | 3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, unilateral, 4-min rest intervals (n = 29 30% MVC, n = 50 control) | 142/75 mmHg | 136/72 mmHg |
| Decaux et al. (2021) [65] | UK | 4 | N = 20 (50% female) | Pre-HTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Wall squat | 4 × 2 min, 2-min rest intervals (n = 10 95% HRpeak, n = 10 control) | 131/79.7 mmHg | 115.8/75.1 mmHg |
| Farah et al. (2018) [24] | USA | 12 |
N = 72 (75% female) 48 > 50 years |
HTN | Yes |
Home IET 6 Supervised IET 10 Control 8 |
3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, bilateral (alternating hands), 1-min rest intervals (n = 18 at 30% MVC home based, n = 14 30% MVC supervised, n = 16 control) |
Home 130/73 mmHg Supervised 132/71 mmHg |
Home 126/71 mmHg Supervised 120/66 mmHg |
| Fecchio et al. (2023) [85] | Brazil | 10 | N = 35 (100% male) | Pre-HTN | Yes |
IET 3 Control 1 |
3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, unilateral, 1-min rest intervals (n = 16 control) | 128/87 mmHg | 125/86 mmHg |
| Gill et al. (2014) [87] | USA | 3 | N = 40 (71% female) | NTN | No |
IET-20: 2 IET-30: 1 Control: 2 |
3 × per week | Leg extension (bilateral) | 4 × 2 min, 3-min rest intervals (n = 8 20%EMGpeak, n = 9 30%EMGpeak n = 18 control) |
20%EMGpeak 116.4/68.7 mmHg 30%EMGpeak 110.4/62.1 mmHg |
20%EMGpeak 113.7/66.7 mmHg 30%EMGpeak 107.4/58.2 mmHg |
| Gordon et al. (2018) [84] | USA | 12 |
N = 22 (sex unknown) 22 < 50 years |
Pre-HTN/HTN | Yes | None | 3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, unilateral, 1-min rest intervals (n = 5 30% MVC home-based, n = 8 30% MVC lab-based, n = 9 control) |
Home 137.7/88.4 mmHg Lab 137.6/87.1 mmHg |
Home 128/81.6 mmHg Lab 128.5/84.3 mmHg |
| Javidi et al. (2022) [66] | Iran | 8 | N = 39 (100% male) | HTN | No |
IHG-60: 3 IHG-30: 2 Control: 1 |
3 × per week | Handgrip | 3 × 30 s, unilateral. 2-min rest intervals for IHG-60. 4 × 2 min, unilateral, 4-min rest intervals for IHG-30 (n = 12 IHG-60, n = 13 IHG-30, n = 14 control) |
IHG-60 142/91 mmHg IHG-30 142/89 mmHg |
IHG-60 125/84 mmHg IHG-30 136/86 mmHg |
| Nemoto et al. (2021) [80] | Japan | 8 | N = 53 (43% female) | Pre-HTN/HTN | Yes | None | 3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, bilateral (alternating hands), 1-min rest intervals (n = 27 pre-set resistance value closest to participants 30% MVC, n = 26 control) | 136.9/81.9 mmHg | 134/79.5 mmHg |
| O’Driscoll et al. (2022) [82] | UK | 52 | N = 24 (100% male) | Pre-HTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Wall squat | 4 × 2 min, 2-min rest intervals (n = 12 95% HRpeak, n = 12 control) | 132.3/81.7 mmHg | 121.8/73.7 mmHg |
| Ogbutor et al. (2019) [73] | Nigeria | 24 days | N = 400 (45% female) | Pre-HTN | No | None | 24 consecutive days | Handgrip | 2 × 2 min, unilateral, 5-min rest interval (n = 200 30% MVC, n = 200 control) | 133.5/87.7 mmHg | 126.1/81.3 mmHg |
| Okamoto et al. (2020) [78] | Japan | 8 | N = 22 (59% female) | HTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, bilateral (alternating hands) 1-min rest interval (n = 11 30% MVC, n = 11 control) | 156/94 mmHg | 139/87 mmHg |
| Pagonas et al. (2017) [47] | Germany | 12 | N = 50 (60% female) | HTN | Yes |
IET 1 Control 2 |
5 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, 1-min rest interval (n = 25 30% MVC, n = 25 sham control) | 138.4/80.3 mmHg | 138.4/79.6 mmHg |
| Palmeira et al. (2021) [71] | Brazil | 12 | N = 63 (74% female) | HTN | Yes |
IET 16 Control 17 |
3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, 1-min rest interval (n = 15 30% MVC, n = 16 control) | 129/83 mmHg | 121/79 mmHg |
| Punia and Kulandaivelan (2019) [74] | India | 8 | N = 40 (50% female) | HTN | Yes | None | 3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, 4-min rest intervals (n = 20 30% MVC, n = 20 control group) | 144.2/92.7 mmHg | 138.4/87.5 mmHg |
| Stiller-Moldovan et al. (2012) [46] | Canada | 8 | N = 25 (50% female) | HTN | Yes |
IET 2 Control 3 |
3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, 1-min rest interval (n = 11 30% MVC, n = 9 control) | 112.5/84.3 mmHg | 111.3/84.6 mmHg |
| Taylor et al. (2003) [79] | Canada | 10 | N = 17 (42% female) | HTN | Yes | None | 3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, 1-min rest intervals (n = 9 30% MVC, n = 8 control group) | 156/82.3 mmHg | 137/75 mmHg |
| Taylor et al. (2018) [29] | UK | 4 | N = 48 (100% male) | Pre-HTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Wall squat | 4 × 2 min, 2-min rest intervals (n = 24 95%HRpeak, n = 24 control) | 132.4/81.4 mmHg | 120.1/75.4 mmHg |
| Wiles et al. (2009) [27] | UK | 8 | N = 33 (100% males) | NTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Leg extension (bilateral) | 4 × 2 min, 2-min rest intervals (n = 11 HI-95%HRpeak, n = 11 LO-75%HRpeak, n = 11 control group) | High int -121.5/68.5 mmHg | High int—116.3/65.8 mmHg |
| Wiles et al. (2016) [30] | UK | 4 | N = 28 (100% male) | NTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Wall squat | 4 × 2 min, 1-min rest interval (n = 14 95%HRpeak, n = 14 control) | 127/79 mmHg | 123/76 mmHg |
| Yamagata and Sako (2020) [75] | Japan | 8 | N = 20 (sex unknown) | NTN | No | None | 3 × per week | Handgrip | 4 × 2 min, 3-min rest intervals (n = 10 25%MVC handgrip, n = 10 control group) | 107.1/63.3 mmHg | 102.5/60.2 mmHg |
dBP diastolic blood pressure, EMG electromyography, HTN hypertension, HRpeak peak heart rate, IET isometric exercise training, IHG isometric handgrip, mBP mean blood pressure, MVC maximal voluntary contraction, N number, NTN normotension, pre-HTN pre-hypertension, RCT randomised controlled trial, sBP systolic blood pressure