Since aerobic exercise (e.g., walking) and resistance exercise (e.g., lifting objects and mopping) are both parts of the activities of daily living, an exaggerated elevation in systolic blood pressure (SBP) during aerobic and resistance exercise is an early marker of cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the effects of habitual exercise on SBP during low-intensity resistance exercise using both cross-sectional and interventional approaches. First, in 57 normotensive women (61.9 ± 1.0 yr of age), daily physical activity level, as assessed by triaxial accelerometry, was correlated with SBP during resistance exercise at 20 and 40% of the 1 repetition maximum (r = -0.408 and r = -0.348, respectively). Maximal oxygen uptake was correlated with SBP during exercise at 20% (r = -0.385) and 40% (r = -0.457). Physical activity level or maximal oxygen uptake was identified as a predictor of SBP during the exercise in stepwise regression analysis, independent of SBP at rest and other factors (R = 0.729-0.781). Second, 66 men and women (64.6 ± 0.9 yr of age) participated in a 6-wk intervention as a part of the training (walking, 4.3 ± 0.3 days/wk, 55.6 ± 4.1 min/day, 70.7 ± 1.2% of maximal heart rate) or control group. SBP during resistance exercise in the training group decreased after the intervention (before vs. after: 20%, 143 ± 4 vs. 128 ± 4 mmHg; and 40%, 148 ± 5 vs. 134 ± 4 mmHg). In the control group, there were no significant differences in SBP before and after the intervention. SBP during resistance exercise after the intervention was lower in the training group relative to the control group. These results suggest that habitual exercise decreases SBP during low-intensity resistance exercise.

Exaggerated blood pressure responses to aerobic and resistance exercise are associated with future cardiovascular disease. However, it remains unclear whether the excessive blood pressure responses induce these degenerative changes or are just an initial symptom of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that exaggerated blood pressure responses to exercise and activities of daily living decrease vascular endothelial function and increase arterial stiffness. We investigated aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV, an index of arterial stiffness), blood pressure and heart rate at rest, during dynamic resistance (leg press) exercise and during 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), one-repetition maximum of leg press exercise, maximal oxygen uptake and conventional cardiovascular risk factors such as serum cholesterol concentrations in 36 middle-aged and older individuals (mean age, 61.0 ± 1.3 years). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) during resistance exercise was correlated with aortic PWV, independent of resting SBP (partial r = 0.399). In the stepwise regression analysis, SBP during resistance exercise, age, body mass index, and 24-h ambulatory heart rate were used as significant predictors of aortic PWV, independent of other variables (R 2 = 0.722). Additionally, 24-h ambulatory SBP was correlated with SBP during resistance exercise (r = 0.513) and aortic PWV (r = 0.472). In conclusion, these results suggest that SBP during resistance exercise is an independent predictor of arterial stiffness. Repeated excessive rises in blood pressure during resistance exercise and activities of daily living may increase arterial stiffness.

No abstract