Brief

Weekly Wall‑Squat Sessions May Preserve Blood‑Pressure Gains, Study Finds

Researchers found that adults who continued with just one or two wall‑squat sessions a week kept most of their blood‑pressure reductions.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sun, 11 Oct 2026 05:28:44 GMT

A study published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine reports that adults who performed a single weekly wall‑squat session after an initial four‑week training period retained most of their blood‑pressure improvements.

What happened

The trial enrolled 100 non‑smoking adults, average age 37.4, whose systolic blood pressure ranged from 120 to 140 mmHg and who were not on medication. All participants completed a four‑week home program of three sessions per week, each consisting of four sustained wall‑squat holds with two‑minute seated rests. After this phase, participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups for the next four weeks: three sessions per week, two sessions per week, one session per week, or no further training.

What the reports add

According to scitechdaily.com, every exercise group showed significant reductions in systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure after the first four weeks compared with a control group that did not train. The group that continued three sessions weekly achieved the greatest reduction, while the once‑weekly group still preserved a notable portion of the benefit. The no‑training group lost most of the gains.

What was said

The article notes that “isometric exercises work muscles without moving the joints,” citing examples such as wall squats and hand‑grip squeezes. It also references earlier research that found blood‑pressure drops from isometric training comparable to some medications.

How it came about

This investigation builds on prior findings that isometric training can lower blood pressure, a topic previously covered by Felo News in a piece on protein targets for hypertension (see New Protein Target Could Tackle Hypertension). The current study extends that work by exploring the minimal maintenance dose needed to sustain benefits.

Key facts

The study involved 100 adults with systolic blood pressure between 120‑140 mmHg. (scitechdaily.com)
All participants completed a four‑week wall‑squat program of three sessions per week. (scitechdaily.com)
After the initial phase, groups continued with 3, 2, 1, or 0 weekly sessions for four more weeks. (scitechdaily.com)
Every exercise group showed significant blood‑pressure reductions after the first four weeks. (scitechdaily.com)
The once‑weekly group retained most of the blood‑pressure improvements, while the no‑training group lost most gains. (scitechdaily.com)