BEAT-TO BEAT BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABILITY AFTER ISOMETRIC HANDGRIP TRAINING SESSION
BP variability, isometric training, blood pressure
Beat-to-beat blood pressure variability (BPV) is a powerful risk predictor of cardiovascular mortality and end-organ damage. Isometric handgrip training (ITPM) has been recommended as an important non-pharmacological therapeutic strategy for improving neural control of blood pressure. However, the acute effect of TIPM on beat-to-beat hemodynamic variability, and whether this effect is sex-dependent, is not yet known. Considering this, the aim of the present study was to determine the acute effect of a TIPM session on the beat-to-beat variability of blood pressure in healthy men and women. Thirty subjects (15 women) randomly performed four sets of TIPM, lasting 2 minutes (2x each limb) at 30%(Exp) or 3% (sham) of maximum voluntary contraction. Beat-to-beat blood pressure was measured using photoplethysmography, before and 10 and 20 minutes after TIPM. Standard deviation (SD) was used as an index of blood pressure variability. TIPM significantly decreased systolic (Δ-1.02±0.55 vs. Δ0.47±0.43 mmHg), diastolic (Δ-0.63±0.25 vs. Δ0.38±0.31 mmHg) VPA ), mean (Δ-0.60±0.36 vs. Δ0.35±0.34 mmHg), cardiac output (Δ-0.07±0.07 vs. Δ0.13±0.07 mL.min- 1), and peripheral vascular resistance (Δ-0.40±0.32 vs. Δ-0.13±0.14 mL.min-1) in women (P<0.05) compared to men at the time 10-minute recovery. Additionally, the same results were observed at the time 20 minutes after TIPM. In conclusion, the acute effect of an isometric hand pressure training session is sex-dependent, characteri