The effects of a single bout of strength training on ambulatory blood pressure levels in 24 mildly hypertensive men.

Twenty-four mildly hypertensive sedentary men were randomly assigned to one or two control conditions of health education or a treatment of a single bout of strength training. The men were rotated through the conditions until each man had participated in the treatment and both control conditions. Blood pressure was measured every 15 minutes for the 24-hour period following participation in each condition using an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring system. Compared to the control conditions, systolic blood pressure and blood pressure load were reduced for at least 1 hour after exercise, and diastolic blood pressure and blood pressure load were reduced for at least 3 minutes and 1 hour, respectively, after exercise.