Acute Post-Exercise Blood Pressure Responses in Middle-Aged Persons with Elevated Blood Pressure/Stage 1 Hypertension following Moderate and High-Intensity Isoenergetic Endurance Exercise

Authors

Terje Gjøvaag, Department of Occupational theraphy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, NORWAYFollow
Hanna Berge, Department of Sport Science and Physical Education, Nord University, Levanger, NORWAY
Marianne Olsrud, Department of Sport Science and Physical Education, Nord University, Levanger, NORWAY
Boye Welde, School of Sports Sciences, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, NORWAYFollow

Abstract

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(3): 1532-1548, 2020. This study investigated the acute post-exercise hypotension (PEH) response in persons with elevated blood pressure or stage 1 hypertension following moderate and high-intensity isoenergetic endurance exercise. Twelve middle-aged persons (six females), with resting systolic and diastolic BP of 130±6 and 84±7 mmHg, participated in three bicycle ergometer bouts: 1) Testing of peak aerobic capacity (VO_2peak), 2) Moderate intensity exercise (MOD) at 66% of VO_2peak, 3) High-intensity exercise (INT) at 80% of VO_2peak. All variables were recorded pre-exercise, during exercise and 0, 5, 10, and 30 minutes post-exercise. The total duration of exercise was 26% longer during MOD than INT (p <0.001), while total energy expenditure (TEE) was similar between exercise conditions (359 ± 69 kcal). Oxygen consumption, heart rate, power output and ratings of perceived exertion was 21, 13, 21 and 26% higher during INT than MOD exercise, respectively (0.05 ≤ p ≤ 0.001). Compared to pre-exercise, systolic BP was significantly lower at 30 min post-exercise following both INT (p < 0.05) and MOD (p < 0.01) exercise, and there was no difference between INT and MOD conditions. Other variables were similar to pre-exercise values at 30 min post-exercise. Linear regression shows that the largest post-exercise reductions in systolic BP was found for the persons with the highest pre-exercise systolic BP (r = 0.58 r² = 0.33, p < 0.003). In conclusion, this study shows that endurance exercise with different intensities and durations, but similar TEE is equally effective in eliciting reductions in the post-exercise systolic BP. Furthermore, the magnitude of PEH response is partly dependent on the individuals’ resting blood pressure.

Recommended Citation

Gjøvaag, Terje; Berge, Hanna; Olsrud, Marianne; and Welde, Boye (2020) "Acute Post-Exercise Blood Pressure Responses in Middle-Aged Persons with Elevated Blood Pressure/Stage 1 Hypertension following Moderate and High-Intensity Isoenergetic Endurance Exercise," International Journal of Exercise Science: Vol. 13 : Iss. 3, Pages 1532 - 1548.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70252/AKIQ6572
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijes/vol13/iss3/19