Combined exercise circuit session acutely attenuates stress-induced blood pressure reactivity in healthy adults

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the blood pressure (BP) responses to cardiovascular stress test after a combined exercise circuit session at moderate intensity. METHOD: Twenty individuals (10 male/10 fem; 33.4± 6.9 years; 70.2± 15.8 kg; 170.4± 11.5 cm; 22.3± 6.8% body fat) were randomized in a different days to control session with no exercise or exercise session consisting of 3 laps of the following circuit: knee extension, bench press, knee flexion, rowing in the prone position, squats, shoulder press, and 5 min of aerobic exercise at 75-85% of age-predicted maximum heart rate and/or 13 on the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion [scale of 6 to 20]. The sets of resistance exercise consisted of 15 repetitions at ~50% of the estimated 1 repetition maximum test. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured at rest and during 1h of recovery in both experimental sessions. After that, blood pressure reactivity (BP(R)) was evaluated using the Cold Pressor Test. RESULTS: During 1h of exercise recovery, there was a reduction in SBP (3-6 mmHg) and DBP (2-5 mmHg) in relation to pre-session rest (p<0.01), while this reduction was not observed in the control session. A decline in BP(R) (4-7 mmHg; p<0.01) was observed 1h post-exercise session, but not in the control session. Post-exercise reductions in SBP and DBP were significantly correlated with BP(R) reductions (r=0.50-0.45; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: A combined exercise circuit session at moderate intensity promoted subsequent post-exercise hypotension and acutely attenuated BP(R) in response to a cardiovascular stress test. In addition, the post-exercise BP reduction was correlated with BP(R) attenuation in healthy adults of both genders.