{"id":787880,"date":"2026-09-30T22:28:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T22:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/787880\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T22:28:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T22:28:13","slug":"blood-pressure-squatting-exercise-once-a-week-can-lower-blood-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/787880\/","title":{"rendered":"Blood pressure: Squatting exercise once a week can lower blood pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Squatting once a week can lower blood pressure, according to new research.<\/p>\n

The findings, published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, suggest that isometric exercises, where muscles contract without movement, can deliver notable cardiovascular benefits even at low frequency.<\/p>\n

While a study from Canterbury Christ Church University in Kent found that doing the exercises three times a week produced the best results, researchers noted that a single weekly session still yielded significant improvements. <\/p>\n

This makes the approach particularly valuable for those who struggle to maintain a more demanding workout schedule.<\/p>\n

The trial enrolled 100 individuals, none of whom exercised regularly, with an average age of 37. <\/p>\n

All had systolic blood pressure readings falling between 120 and 140 mmHg, classified as normal or high-normal.<\/p>\n

Participants were divided into five groups. <\/p>\n

One group served as a control and did not train. <\/p>\n

\"\\u200bSquatting<\/p>\n

Squatting exercise once a week can lower blood pressure<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

The remaining four groups completed isometric wall-sit sessions three times a week during the first four weeks.<\/p>\n

Each session included four rounds of the wall-sit exercise, with two-minute seated rest intervals between bouts.<\/p>\n

During the second month, the four active groups diverged: they were assigned frequencies of zero, one, two or three sessions per week, allowing researchers to assess how training regularity affected outcomes.<\/p>\n

By the end of the initial four-week training phase, all exercising participants experienced a systolic blood pressure reduction of roughly 10mmHg.<\/p>\n

\"\\u200bSquatting<\/p>\n

The trial enrolled 100 individuals, none of whom exercised regularly, with an average age of 37<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

After the full eight weeks, those who maintained three weekly sessions saw the greatest improvement, with an average decrease of 13.73mmHg, bringing their systolic reading to approximately 117mmHg.<\/p>\n

Participants who trained once or twice per week recorded reductions of 6.56mmHg and 6.95mmHg respectively, with readings settling at around 123mmHg.<\/p>\n

Those who ceased training entirely during the second month saw their blood pressure climb back to levels comparable with the control group, averaging about 128mmHg.<\/p>\n

The study authors wrote: “For individuals unable to commit to higher training frequencies, even minimal engagement (once a week) can help maintain significant benefits over a short four-week period. <\/p>\n

“However, for optimal blood pressure reductions … a frequency of three times per week may be recommended.”<\/p>\n

\"\\u200bSquatting<\/p>\n

Each session included four rounds of the wall-sit exercise, with two-minute seated rest intervals between bouts<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

Emily McGrath, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, highlighted the research’s broader significance. <\/p>\n

She said: “Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your heart and general health. <\/p>\n

“It can help to lower blood pressure, support a healthy weight and reduce your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases.”<\/p>\n

She emphasised that the findings show how even modest training can produce considerable health gains, offering encouragement to people who find frequent exercise difficult to sustain.<\/p>\n

McGrath also stressed the importance of offering varied exercise options so people can choose activities that realistically fit into their lives. <\/p>\n

She did, however, note that the four-week follow-up period was brief, and that longer-term studies would be needed to determine whether such benefits endure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Squatting once a week can lower blood pressure, according to new research. The findings, published in BMJ Open…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":787881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[59,102,50,2331,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-787880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-news","tag-sgg","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/787881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}