Normal blood pressure is 120/80 in healthy individuals. This value is expressed as two numbers--a systolic number, or the "top" reading, and a diastolic number, the "bottom" reading. However, these values are expected to rise gradually in normal healthy individuals when participating in exercise. This rise in systolic and diastolic value should not be confused with having pre-hypertension between 120/80 to 139/89, Type I hypertension when blood pressure is 140/90 to 159/99, or Type II hypertension when blood pressure is 160/100.
Systole
The rise in blood pressure during associated exercise is due largely to an elevation in the systolic "top" value, with a lesser effect on the diastolic reading. This was shown dating back to 1954 in a pioneering article published in Circulation by Fraser and Chapman. This systolic change is thought to occur immediately at the onset of exercise, whereas a similar dramatic decrease occurs following cessation of exercise and then eventually plateauing to resting levels within six minutes. A not so similar pattern is followed by the diastolic reading, reflecting very little change in value as a result of exercise.
Diastole
A sharp rise in diastolic blood pressure as a result of exercise participation could indicate the presence of cardiovascular health issue. Miyai and colleagues suggest in a 2002 article published in Hypertension that a sharp rise in diastolic blood pressure could be the result of increased peripheral vascular resistance with a corresponding decrease in exercise-induced vasodilation, "increase in circumference." This response to exercise typically is reflective of thickening of arteriole wall tissue that compromises its ability to respond to vasoconstriction, "decrease in circumference," or vasodilation stimuli.
Weight Lifting
It is traditionally thought that aerobic exercise, not non-aerobic exercise, can only effectively increase blood pressure during exercise and decrease it as a result of training. However, in a 1994 article published in the Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology by Sale and colleagues, they showed as a result of weight training that simultaneous measures of blood pressure responded similarly to that of aerobic exercise, and readings following training followed the same response as aerobic exercise, as well.
A Decrease in Blood Pressure
Although it is thought that exercise stimulates an increase in blood pressure during exercise, effective use of exercise training can elicit cardiovascular health benefits reflected by decreases in blood pressure at rest. In a review conducted by Whelton and colleagues in the Annals of Internal Medicine, they show using numerous studies that blood pressure can be effectively lowered as a result of regular aerobic exercise training.
What this Means
The research has shown that both aerobic and non-aerobic exercise can similarly affect blood pressure response both during and following training. Consequently, although it is desirable to see characteristic systolic and diastolic response during and following training, it is just as important to see an overall decrease in resting blood pressure as a result of regular exercise training that is reflective of improved heart health and cardiovascular functioning.
References
- "Circulation"; Studies on the Effect of Exercise on Cardiovascular Function II. The Blood Pressure and Pulse Rate; R.S. Fraser et al.; 1954.
- "Hypertension"; Blood Pressure Response to Heart Rate During Exercise Test and Risk of Future Hypertension; N. Miyai,et al.; 2002
- "Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology"; EFFECT OF TRAINING ON THE BLOOD-PRESSURE RESPONSE TO WEIGHT-LIFTING; D.G. Sale et al.; 1994.
