Study: One Weekly Plank Session May Help Keep Blood Pressure Lower
A new clinical trial suggests that even a single isometric exercise per week, such as the plank, helps maintain previously achieved blood pressure reductions. Training three times a week produced the best results.
Researchers have found that doing the plank just once a week may help people keep their blood pressure lower for longer, according to a clinical study published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine and reported by The Independent. The finding matters for people who struggle to find time for regular workouts but want to look after their heart and blood vessels.
What the study examined
The scientists wanted to know whether less frequent training can preserve the beneficial effect of exercise on blood pressure. They focused on isometric exercises, in which muscles tense while the joints stay still and muscle length does not change. These differ from familiar strength exercises such as dumbbell curls or weighted squats, where muscles contract and lengthen as the body moves.
How it was done
The trial involved 100 people with an average age of 37. They first completed interval endurance training, in which intense bursts alternated with shorter rest or recovery periods; during the hardest parts, heart rate reached about 85% of maximum. Over the next eight weeks, the researchers monitored participants' health while gradually reducing training frequency.
After four weeks, those doing the interval training had blood pressure about 9.5 mm Hg lower than a control group. During the following four weeks, people who trained once or twice a week kept part of that reduction. The best results came from those who continued three sessions a week. Even so, participants who kept just one isometric exercise, such as the plank, in their weekly routine still maintained lower blood pressure.
What the authors say
Jim Wiles, one of the authors and a professor of exercise physiology at Canterbury Christ Church University, said training three times a week was linked to a greater drop in blood pressure and broader physiological benefits being retained. He stressed that even one session a week over a short four-week period can help preserve some health gains.
The researchers consider this the first convincing evidence that the frequency of isometric training affects how effective it is. Co-author Harry Swift said physical activity does not have to be "all or nothing": when life gets busy, switching to one isometric session a week may help hold on to the reduction already achieved until a person can return to a more regular routine.
