Key result
Isometric handgrip during treadmill exercise raises SBP, DBP, and double product without affecting heart rate.
Why the study?
Data on the acute hemodynamic effects of combining isometric handgrip exercise with cyclic treadmill exercise remain scarce.
Does isometric contraction with handgrip modify the hemodynamic responses of HR, SBP, DBP, and DP during cyclic treadmill exercise in young, active or irregularly active men?
RCT (n=40)
Crossover
Does isometric contraction with handgrip modify the hemodynamic responses of HR, SBP, DBP, and DP during cyclic treadmill exercise in young, active or irregularly active men?
p-value: p=<0.05
Combining isometric handgrip with cyclic treadmill exercise acutely increases blood pressure and cardiac workload compared to treadmill exercise alone.
Raises concern for added cardiac strain during combined exercise; extends hemodynamic data on isometric-aerobic interactions in young adults.
During exercise, fine hemodynamic adjustments are essential to ensure adequate energy supply. Although cyclic treadmill exercise has been widely studied, isometric exercise with Handgrip (HG) has gained relevance in conditioning and rehabilitation contexts, yet data on the acute hemodynamic effects of combining these modalities remain scarce. In this context, the present study tested the hypothesis that isometric contraction with HG modifies the hemodynamic responses of Heart Rate (HR), Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), and Double Product (DP) during cyclic treadmill exercise. A clinical trial was conducted with 40 young, active or irregularly active men, using a crossover design in which three protocols were applied: protocol 1 without HG, protocol 2 with HG at 30% of handgrip strength (HGS), and protocol 3 with HG at 60% of HGS. The exercise sessions were performed on a treadmill and consisted of four blocks of 2 min at 50% of heart rate reserve, followed by 1 min at 30%. Statistical analysis was carried out using Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman tests with appropriate post hoc procedures. The results demonstrated that protocols 2 and 3 significantly increased SBP and DBP compared to protocol 1 (p < 0.05), while DP was significantly higher only in protocol 3 (p < 0.01). Heart rate increased throughout exercise in all protocols (p < 0.05), with no differences between them. Additionally, HG did not modify the hemodynamic response during recovery. Overall, HG promotes increases in SBP, DBP, and DP during treadmill exercise without altering HR.
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Sacramento et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in Healthy (n=40). Isometric exercise with Handgrip (HG) vs. Treadmill exercise without Handgrip was evaluated on Hemodynamic responses (SBP, DBP, DP, HR) (p=<0.05). Adding isometric handgrip at 30% or 60% of strength to treadmill exercise significantly increased SBP and DBP (p<0.05) and double product (p<0.01) without altering HR.
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