Effects of long-term resistance training on blood pressure: a systematic review

Abstract

Studies assessed the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on blood pressure (BP); however, few studies have evaluated the effects of long-term resistance training on variations of this response. The aim of the study was to verify through a systematic review, the long-term effect of resistance training on BP. Searches were made on Medline through Pubmed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science and Lilacs databases. Overall, 751 articles were found, of which 22 were further analyzed. The analysis followed the PRISMA checklist (Statement for Reporting Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Studies) and was divided according to two resistance training models: traditional resistance training (TRT), resistance training alone; or combined resistance training (CRT), resistance training associated with aerobic exercise. Greater BP reductions occurred for CRT compared to TRT. However, further studies are needed to better explicit the resistance training variables (number of exercises, repetitions, number of sets, intervals, speed of execution and load intensity), in order to identify the best training model and improve the methodological quality of experiments in an attempt to reduce the risk of bias.