I remember my grandmother doing isometric exercises each day when I was little. The simple routine seemed to work for her, since she lived well into her 90s. Isometrics may be making a comeback… as an effective way to control blood pressure. New studies show that isometric hand exercises can help you to quite literally get a grip on blood pressure problems and — kudos to Grandma — the origins of this finding do, in fact, date back to the 1960s. That’s when a researcher made the serendipitous discovery of a link between the hand grips used by fighter pilots to help them tolerate gravitational forces while flying, and their subsequently lower blood pressure. The aim of the gripping during flight is to increase blood pressure to maintain the flow to the brain and prevent blackout. The beneficial side effect was that when pilots were not flying, they experienced training-induced reductions in their resting blood pressure.
In 2004, a research team at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, gathered people taking medication for high blood pressure for a study on the effects of isometric hand grip training using a device called Zona Plus. One of the two groups exercised with both arms while the other group used just one arm. All were taking anti-hypertensive medications (a wide variety) before and throughout the study. After eight weeks of thrice-weekly isometric hand exercises (four sets of two-minute isometric contractions), the group exercising with both arms decreased their systolic (the upper number) blood pressure by an average of 15 mmHg. The diastolic pressure dropped about 3 mmHg — a lesser amount, but this figure is also less relevant. In a more recent study, researchers from the same university found that patients in their 60s, all with normal blood pressure, had significantly reduced resting blood pressure after completing eight weeks of isometric hand grip training, using inexpensive spring handgrip devices.
I called Maureen MacDonald, PhD, one of the lead investigators, to discuss the latest findings. Isometric hand exercises seem to somehow reprogram the way the nervous system sets its control level of blood pressure, she explained, sending a message that a high resting blood pressure isn’t necessary. More research has to be done on the whys and wherefores, but she told me that evidence is building for the benefits of using this as a lifestyle modification for hypertension.
Hand gripping devices are inexpensive and easy to find in sporting goods stores. Grips come in a variety of resistances that feel different, so check around until you find one that is comfortable for you. To determine whether the grip is sufficiently intense, hold the device steady, keeping your body relaxed and your breath normal. If your hand tires after two minutes of squeezing the grip and holding the contraction (like when you reach your limit when lifting weights), you have found the correct grip — Dr. MacDonald says you need to grip at least 30% of your maximum strength; less than that does not have any impact.
Here is an exercise sequence that Dr. MacDonald advises should be performed three to five times each week. Remember to breathe normally throughout.
Another option is to buy an electronic hand grip called the Zona Plus that measures the grip to the correct level and also guides the user through the series of exercises. The price is $399. (The research team used the Zona Plus in some of their experiments.) Dr. MacDonald says that the Zona Plus is ergonomically designed so it is more comfortable to grip. Go to www.zona.com or call 866-669-9662 for more information.
According to Dr. MacDonald, so long as you continue to do these exercises regularly, your blood pressure will remain at a lower level — but, you should know that when research subjects did not exercise for eight weeks, their blood pressure returned to its elevated state. Note: There are concerns that this form of exercise can be dangerous for individuals who have an aneurysm or a mitral valve problem, so if you fall into that category, check with your doctor before trying it.
