Correlation between acute and chronic 24-hour blood pressure response to resistance training in adult women.

The purpose of the present study was to correlate the acute and chronic decrease in blood pressure (BP) following resistance training (RT). 13 normotensive women (18-49 years) completed an acute whole body RT session with 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 60% 1RM and then 8 weeks of RT as follows: 3/week, 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions maximum. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were measured up to 60 min and 24 h following RT (acute and chronic). The greatest acute decrease of SBP (108.5±7.0 mmHg) and DBP (71.5±6.4 mmHg) values over the 60-min period were reduced compared to pre-exercise (117.3±11.7 and 79.3±8.2 mmHg, respectively; p<0.05). The chronic effect on resting BP was observed only for those presenting acute post-exercise hypotension (PEH). The change in both SBP and DBP following acute RT was correlated with the chronic change in resting SBP and DBP (r>0.5; p≤0.05). The change in 24 h BP after acute RT was correlated with the chronic reduction in SBP (r=0.74) and DBP (r=0.80). The magnitude of PEH is a promising candidate for the prediction of individual BP-related training efficacy.