Arterial blood pressure response to heavy resistance exercise.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Physiological case series measuring acute hemodynamics in five subjects without a comparator group
PubMed 3980383 · doi:10.1152/jappl.1985.58.3.785
What was done
Direct brachial artery blood pressure and intrathoracic (mouth) pressure were measured in 5 experienced bodybuilders during single-arm curls, overhead presses, and single- and double-leg presses performed to failure at 80%, 90%, 95%, and 100% of maximum.
What was found
Blood pressure rose rapidly during the concentric phase and dropped during the eccentric phase. Group mean peak pressure reached 320/250 mmHg during double-leg presses (with one subject exceeding 480/350 mmHg) and 255/190 mmHg during single-arm curls to failure. Mouth pressures reached 30-50 Torr during single maximum lifts or near failure.
Why it matters
It provides direct intra-arterial measurements showing that heavy resistance lifting combined with the Valsalva maneuver causes massive, transient pressor responses even in small muscle-mass exercises.
Limits
The sample size is extremely small (n = 5) and restricted entirely to experienced bodybuilders. The abstract does not report long-term outcomes, safety events, or comparisons to untrained or female populations.
Cited by
- supports Direct arterial line measurements by John Sutton and colleagues showed that systolic blood pressure can reach 400 mmHg during high-intensity resistance exercises like heavy squats.