2020 Volume 41 Pages 85-92
An exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. To test whether combined aerobic and low-intensity resistance exercise training (cross-training) decreases blood pressure during resistance exercise, 43 healthy older individuals participated in a 6-week program as a part of the cross-training group (3 times a week: walking, 60-75% maximal heart rate and 30 min and 4 resistance exercises using one's body weight, 8-10 repetitions and 2-3 sets) or the control group (asked not to modify their lifestyle during the experimental period).The cross-training intervention decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP) during a one-hand arm curl exercise at 20% and 40% of one-repetition maximum. In addition, decreases in exercise SBP during the experimental period were greater in the training group versus the control group. These results suggest that combined aerobic and low-intensity resistance training decreases blood pressure during resistance exercise.