Research
Mixed
Aerobic exercise training lowers systolic blood pressure by 5–7 mmHg, and dynamic resistance exercise lowers it by 2–3 mmHg, providing benefits comparable to first-line antihypertensive medications.
If you have high blood pressure, exercise is a first-line treatment, not just an add-on. Aim for aerobic exercise to get the biggest drop in systolic BP (5-7 mmHg). Resistance training also helps. This can be as effective as some blood pressure medications.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
A meta-analyses calculated that aerobic exercise training lowers systolic BP by 5–7 mmHg... Dynamic resistance exercise is also beneficial and lowers the systolic BP by 2–3 mmHg. These reductions are similar to the reductions seen with many first-line antihypertensive medications.
Why this rating
Supported by meta-analyses.
Source
Exercise and Cardiovascular Disease
Shashi K. Agarwal · Journal of Preventive Medicine and Holistic Health · 2021
DOI 10.18231/j.jpmhh.2020.011
narrative_review
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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