Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of mat Pilates (MP) versus MP plus aerobic exercise (AE) compared with the effects of no intervention on ambulatory blood pressure (BP) in women with hypertension. Methods This 3-arm, parallel-group randomized clinical trial assessed 60 women who had hypertension and were 30 to 59 years old. The intervention lasted 16 weeks, and the participants were allocated into 3 groups: mat Pilates only (MP group), mat Pilates with alternating bouts of AE on a treadmill (MP + AE group), and control group (CG), with no exercises. Primary outcomes were the effects of the interventions on ambulatory BP assessed in the 24-hour, awake, and asleep periods of analysis. Results A 2-way analysis of variance did not reveal statistically significant differences in between-group comparisons in the 24-hour period of analysis for systolic BP (CG versus MP = 3.3 [95% CI = −7.1 to 13.8]; MP versus MP + AE = 0.7 [95% CI = −4 to 5.4]; CG versus MP + AE = 4.0 [95% CI = −5.2 to 13.4]), diastolic BP (CG versus MP = 2.2 [95% CI = −5.6 to 10.0]; MP versus MP + AE = 1.1 [95% CI = −4.3 to 6.5]; CG versus MP + AE = 3.3 [95% CI = −3.8 to 10.4]), and heart rate (CG versus MP = 3.4 [95% CI = −2 to 8.8]; MP versus MP + AE = 2.0 [95% CI = −3.4 to 7.5]; CG versus MP + AE = 5.4 [95% CI = −0.8 to 11.8]). The awake and asleep periods of analyses also showed similar behavior and did not reveal statistically significant between-group differences. Furthermore, in the responsiveness analysis based on the minimal clinically important difference, no differences were observed between groups. Conclusion The magnitudes of the decrease in systolic BP during the 24-hour period of analysis were − 3 and − 5.48 mm Hg for the MP and MP + AE groups, without differences for responsiveness between groups. The results suggest that MP supplemented with AE or not supplemented with AE may be an alternative adjuvant treatment for women who have hypertension and are using antihypertension medication. Impact. Sixteen weeks of MP training reduced ambulatory BP in women who had hypertension. The MP + AE group displayed a BP reduction similar to that of the MP group. A reduction in ambulatory BP can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.

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A força de preensão manual (FPM) é considerada componente fundamental na análise da força muscular do público idoso. No entanto, dados que mostrem a sua relação com a força muscular global (FMG) ainda são inconclusivos. O objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar se a força de preensão manual relativa (FPMR) é representativa da FMG em idosas. Participaram do estudo 39 mulheres idosas (idade 69,02 ± 6,16 anos, estatura 1,55 ± 0,06 m, índice de massa corporal (IMC) 27,51 ± 4,10 kg/m², gordura 38,80 ± 6,28 %). Para mensuração da força muscular absoluta as participantes foram submetidas aos testes de 10 repetições máximas (RM), nos exercícios supino máquina, remada fechada, cadeira flexora, cadeira extensora e leg press horizontal e 1 RM foi estimada. A FPM absoluta foi avaliada utilizando um dinamômetro hidráulico de preensão manual. Para calcular a FPMR, a maior leitura foi dividida pelo IMC e massa magra dos membros superiores avaliado pelo DXA. O mesmo procedimento foi utilizado para o cálculo da força muscular relativa dos membros superiores e inferiores. Os resultados demonstraram que a FPMR apresentou correlação moderada e significativa com a força muscular relativa na cadeira flexora, supino máquina e remada fechada, porém, com os outros exercícios não houve correlação. Com isso, os dados do presente estudo demonstram que embora a FPMR tenha apresentado correlação moderada e significativa com a força muscular relativa dos membros superiores e inferiores, ainda é recomendada precaução ao afirmar que a FPMR é representativa da FMG em idosas.