Isometric handgrip training improves resting and absolute blood pressure during stress in hypertensive women: randomized controlled trial

Hypertension remains a leading global contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, with women exhibiting lower blood pressure (BP) control rates and greater susceptibility to hypertension-related cardiovascular complications. Although isometric handgrip training (IHT) has recently been incorporated into clinical guidelines as a non-pharmacological strategy for BP control, its effects on BP responses during acute physical stress, an outcome strongly associated with cardiovascular risk and target-organ damage, remain insufficiently characterized, particularly in women. In this secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial, 12 weeks of IHT reduced resting and absolute BP levels during an isometric handgrip test, while the magnitude of BP reactivity remained unchanged. These findings suggest that IHT lowers the absolute hemodynamic load during stress, allowing the cardiovascular system to operate within a lower pressure range in medicated hypertensive women.