In obese women three-month exercise training according to perceived effort lowers blood pressure during submaximal levels of exercise
Abstract
Background: Regular exercise is effective in blood pressure (BP) lowering both acutely and in the long-term. We investigated a three month exercise program with combined supervised and home exercise sessions of moderate intensity using the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion scale on blood pressure during submaximal work intensities.
Methods: A total of 25 obese (BMI 30) female patients (aged 52.1 +- 8.9 years) willing to participate in the exercise program (EP) were included. The EP consisted in at least two supervised sessions per week (with monitoring of Perceived exertion according to Borg Scale 6-20, heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP)) and the patients received the recommendation to exercise at home at the same exercise intensity at least once weekly.
All patients had an exercise stress test with expired gas analysis and 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) before inclusion to the EP and after EP completion. Results: During exercise stress test BP on submaximal work rates decreased significantly.
During work rate of 0.5 Watt.kg-1 SBP decreased from 156 +- 18 to 145 +- 21 mmHg (p < 0.001) and during work rate of 1.0 Watt.kg-1 SBP decreased from 175 +- 22 to 166 +- 21 mmHg (p < 0.05). At peak exercise SBP remained unchanged but we observed a significant increase in both VO2peak (23.0 +- 3.2 vs. 25.5 +- 5.1 ml.kg-1.min-1; p < 0.001) and peak workload (151 +- 43 vs. 163 +- 48 Watt; p < 0.05).
ABPM revealed only modest although significant decrease of HR during active day period (from 79 +- 7 to 76 +- 8 bpm, p < 0.01). Otherwise the BP remained unchanged: mean SBP was 121 +- 12 mmHg at baseline and 121 +- 9 mmHg after the three months (NS).
Conclusions: Exercise prescription according to perceived exertion increases peak work rate and peak oxygen consumption and decreases blood pressures at submaximal work rate intensities, before affecting the 24-hours blood pressure.