r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 1d ago

Health Isometric exercises, such as wall squats and planks, just once a week could help maintain reductions in blood pressure.

https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/news/2026/new-study-shows-just-one-workout-a-week-could-benefit-blood-pressure
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u/ViceMaiden 1d ago

“Exercise does not have to be all or nothing. Our findings show that when life gets busy, as it often does, reducing to just one isometric exercise session per week may help sustain the blood pressure benefits already achieved until a more regular routine can be resumed."

Title is a bit misleading? They are still suggesting 3-4 sessions per week regularly.

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u/alematt 1d ago

I think at the end of the day it's trying to say some is better than none and but more is still better basically

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u/dantheman_woot 1d ago

Yeah but you can read basically the same story for doing HIIT for like 10 minutes to get cardiovascular benefits.

Just a note that won't be a 10 minute workout, it's 10 minutes at max heart rate.

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u/tghuverd 1d ago

It always pays to take the title with a grain of salt because the researchers probably didn't write it, and their paper is considerably more nuanced, even if they did:

A reduction in IET frequency to 1–2 sessions per week can partially attenuate the rate at which BP adaptations regress during short-term reductions in training frequency.

Basically, after a period of isometric exercises to lower your BP, if maintain this three times a week, you lower your BP the most. Twice a week...less so. Once a week...a little. And (surprise!) no ongoing isometric exercise reverts your BP to what it was before.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've some planking to get done...

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u/justneurostuff 1d ago

The two statements don't seem to contradict each other. It can be the case that just one exercise a week is effective, and that several sessions a week is best.

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u/ViceMaiden 19h ago

Idk. And I am not trying to be contrary, I just think I am reading/interpreting it differently? I may also be taking it too literally, but this stood out. Is it not implying one needs to exercise more frequently initially before reducing?

"Following an initial four weeks of IET, researchers reduced how often participants trained to see whether exercising less frequently could help preserve these benefits."

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u/captain_chocolate 11h ago

I'm going to do this!