If you’re told to exercise more to lower your blood pressure, you might think you should get out of your running gear or lift weights. But a group of researchers recently suggested that exercises that keep you in a position without movement, such as the plank movement and wall sit, are the best for lowering blood pressure.

Experts write on the Conversation website that plank movement and wall sits are isometric exercises that include the contraction of a specific muscle or muscle group and maintaining it so that the length of the power does not change during the training. But lowering blood pressure is only one of the benefits of isometric exercises. In the following, some crucial advantages of isometric exercises are mentioned, which researchers have realized by conducting various studies.

A new review shows that the best way to lower blood pressure is to do an average of three weekly isometric exercise sessions. Each session consisted of four two-minute isometric exercises and a one- to four-minute rest period between them. The reduction in blood pressure from the activities was equal to that seen in people taking standard blood pressure medication.

Isometric exercises may be practical for cardiovascular health due to the nature of static muscle contraction. During isometric exercises, the blood vessels are compressed, and then, as a result of releasing them, blood rushes into the veins.

Ligaments play an essential role in stabilizing joints during movement. But injury may occur if we put too much pressure on the ligament. For example, if we land improperly on one leg while jumping, the ligaments may be damaged. Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament is one of the examples of ligament damage that has a significant effect on health.

It is common for the muscles on one side of the body to be stronger than the muscles on the other side of the body. This is partly due to our preference for using one side of our body over the other. This phenomenon can also occur due to your body adapting to the demands of sports (or other activities) that require skills that place more excellent order on one side of the body.

While it is generally okay for muscles on one side of the body to be stronger, this may increase the risk of injury and affect the athlete’s performance. Performing unilateral isometric exercises such as split squats or side planks may help reduce strength differences between limbs because these exercises target one side of the body.

Isometric exercises are practical for improving strength in certain static positions. This is because these exercises can activate specific muscles or muscle groups. Isometric exercises can help build the power needed to withstand the load imposed on the body during physical activities and improve athletic performance or physical performance in daily life.

Isometric exercises are often part of physical and exercise therapy programs for people recovering from musculoskeletal injuries. The reason is that people with limited mobility can also do them.

Since isometric exercises are performed in a static position, they are more tolerable than sports requiring much movement. People with limited mobility can choose a comfortable place for training depending on their condition.

In most studies examining the benefits of isometric exercise on heart health, participants were asked to perform eight minutes per session. This period is approximately equivalent to four isometric exercise sessions, each lasting about two minutes. There is one to four minutes of rest between periods of activity. So, even with a busy schedule, you can still include isometric exercises.

Isometric exercises can be easily performed anywhere because they only use the body to challenge your muscles.

If you don’t know where to start your isometric exercises, you should say wall squats (you lean your back against the wall; as if you are sitting on a chair) and forearm planks (while lifting your stomach off the floor, stand on your forearms and tiptoes you have) are among the movements you can do.