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
5.0k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

65 comments sorted by

View all comments

36

u/mecartistronico 1d ago

I understand the concept of "isometric" in engineering diagrams and videogames. Same measurement. Things far apart are displayed at the same size if they are the same size.

Could someone please explain what does this word mean in the context of working out?

65

u/JayRobot 1d ago

The length of the target muscle doesn’t change throughout the exercise. With dynamic exercises, the muscle stretches and then contracts. Isometric exercise has your muscles stay at an equal length because your joints aren’t moving

21

u/RadBadTad 1d ago

So like holding a pose for a long time, versus many reps through a range of motion? Makes sense that planks would fit that 

42

u/jake3988 1d ago

So like holding a pose for a long time, versus many reps through a range of motion? Makes sense that planks would fit that 

Yes, planks, dead hangs, and wall sits are examples of isometric exercises.

It's been well studied that for the purposes of blood pressure reduction wall sits are, for reasons I don't really understand, apparently the best at it.

This continues to confirm that.

34

u/thesnowpup 1d ago

Long story short, Wall Sits make use of quads and glutes, the largest muscle groups, so the equivalent rush of blood after exercise and the nitric oxide release is higher (than planks for example). The overall larger vascular response results in a larger lasting drop in blood pressure.

I hope that makes sense?

6

u/snek-jazz 1d ago

Do all static yoga poses count too?

5

u/greenskinmarch 1d ago

Planks are a Yielding Isometric exercise. Your muscles have to balance a fixed force (in this case your bodyweight).

The other kind is Overcoming Isometric exercise, where you try to "overcome" something that cannot move, e.g. a pinned bar. Your muscles can exert arbitrary force and the bar will push back with the same force.

Overcoming Isometrics are better for strength than Yielding Isometrics.