Comparative Effects of Isometric Exercise Types on 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Young Men with Prehypertension: An Acute Pilot Trial

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the acute effects of isometric handgrip (IHG) and wall squat (IWS) exercise on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and related indices in young men with prehypertension.Methods: Ten young men with prehypertension (aged 25.0±2.3years) completed three randomized crossover conditions: IHG, IWS, and control.Twenty-four-hour ambulatory BP monitoring was used to assess 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime mean BP, BP variability (BPV; average real variability and standard deviation), morning BP, and nocturnal dipping pattern.Office BP was measured at baseline, 30 minutes, and 90 minutes after each condition.Results: Twenty-four hour, daytime, and nighttime systolic and diastolic BP did not differ significantly among conditions.BPV indices also showed no significant between-condition differences across 24-hour, daytime, or nighttime periods.Nocturnal systolic BP dipping averaged 5%-8% and did not differ among conditions, indicating a nondipper pattern in all trials.Morning systolic BP, sleep-trough surge, and prewaking surge were similar across conditions.Office BP showed no significant condition or interaction effects; however, both IHG and IWS tended to lower BP at 90 minutes compared with control session.Conclusion: A single bout of IHG or IWS did not elicit significant changes in 24-hour ambulatory BP, BPV, morning BP, or dipping pattern in young men with prehypertension.Nonetheless, the small acute reductions in office and morning BP suggest that isometric exercise may have potential as a time-efficient adjunctive strategy for early BP management.Larger and longer-term studies are needed to confirm these findings.