Isometric Resistance Training and Dose-dependent Effects in Pre- and Hypertensive Adults

NCT07251920 | Completed Phase 3

• 1 other identifier: FREC2324002
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

High blood pressure is prevalent in a third of the global population and is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death. one lifestyle change that is recommended to reduce blood pressure is to exercise, typically by performing aerobic exercise, but this is often not well adhered to, given the physical and time demands associated with it. Isometric resistance training has been evidenced as an efficacious method to reduce blood pressure, even when performing four two-minute contractions per day, three days per week at 30% of maximum effort. At present, the dose-response effects have not been examined, which are required to identify the minimal effective dose, which could further reduce the temporal demands of this modality to potentially enhance adhernece even more in time-anxious individuals. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the efficacy of once- twice-, and thrice-weekly isometric resistance training programmes to lower blood pressure,

Conditions

Hypertension; Blood Pressure, High

Keywords

Hypertension; Blood pressure; Isometric contraction; Isometric resistance training; Isometric exercise

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Ambulatory blood pressure

  Blood pressure assessed during a 24-hour window

  Through study completion (12 weeks)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Resting blood pressure

  Through study completion (12 weeks)

Study Arms (3)

Once-weekly training

EXPERIMENTAL

Performed isometric resistance training once per week (four 2-minute contractions).

Other: Isometric resistance training

Twice-weekly training

EXPERIMENTAL

Performed isometric resistance training twice per week (eight 2-minute contractions).

Other: Isometric resistance training

Thrice-weekly training

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Performed isometric resistance training thrice per week (12 2-minute contractions).

Other: Isometric resistance training

Interventions

Isometric resistance training OTHER

isometric resistance training was performed on the chest, arms, and leg muscle groups using a band. Each contraction, was pulled at a perceived 30% (using a CR10 perceieved exertion rating scale) of maximum effort for 2 minutes; one repetition was performed using each muscle group. Weekly frequnecy changed between groups, ranging from once to thrice per week.

Once-weekly training; Thrice-weekly training; Twice-weekly training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• not taking anti-hypertensive medication
• borderlerine hypertensive or hypertensive (systolic blood pressure \>139 mmHG, diastolic blood pressure \> 89 mmHg

You may not qualify if:

• conditoned to resistance training
• currently taking anti-hypertensive medication
• regularly smoke or vape
• are pregnant

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The University of Northampton: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Northampton, Waterside Campus

Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 5PH, United Kingdom

Location

Related Publications (4)

• Smart NA, Way D, Carlson D, Millar P, McGowan C, Swaine I, Baross A, Howden R, Ritti-Dias R, Wiles J, Cornelissen V, Gordon B, Taylor R, Bleile B. Effects of isometric resistance training on resting blood pressure: individual participant data meta-analysis. J Hypertens. 2019 Oct;37(10):1927-1938. doi: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000002105.

  PMID: 30889048 BACKGROUND

• Lopes S, Felix G, Mesquita-Bastos J, Figueiredo D, Oliveira J, Ribeiro F. Determinants of exercise adherence and maintenance among patients with hypertension: a narrative review. Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2021 Dec 22;22(4):1271-1278. doi: 10.31083/j.rcm2204134.

  PMID: 34957769 BACKGROUND

• Zhou B, Perel P, Mensah GA, Ezzati M. Global epidemiology, health burden and effective interventions for elevated blood pressure and hypertension. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2021 Nov;18(11):785-802. doi: 10.1038/s41569-021-00559-8. Epub 2021 May 28.

  PMID: 34050340 BACKGROUND

• Garcia-Hermoso A, Lopez-Gil JF, Ramirez-Velez R, Alonso-Martinez AM, Izquierdo M, Ezzatvar Y. Adherence to aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities guidelines: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 3.3 million participants across 32 countries. Br J Sports Med. 2023 Feb;57(4):225-229. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-106189. Epub 2022 Nov 23.

  PMID: 36418149 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Hypertension

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 3
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Parallel

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 18, 2025
• First Posted: November 26, 2025
• Study Start: February 19, 2024
• Primary Completion: May 20, 2024
• Study Completion: May 21, 2024
• Last Updated: November 26, 2025

Record last verified: 2024-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL
• Time Frame: IPD will be available when the study is published.
• Access Criteria: Data underlying the findings of the study will be publicly available via a repository.

Locations

GB (1)