# Interindividual Variability Response to Resistance and High-Intensity Interval Training on Blood Pressure Reduction in Hypertensive Older Adults

PMID: 39852308
Journal: Journal of cardiovascular development and disease
Published: 2025 Jan 16
Authors: Cano-Montoya J, Hurtado N, Núñez Vergara C, Báez Vargas S, Rojas-Vargas M, Martínez-Huenchullán S, Alvarez C, Izquierdo M

## Question

How do low-volume resistance training and HIIT affect systolic and diastolic blood pressure, responder status, and blood-pressure category distribution in hypertensive older adults?

## Summary

This randomized trial compared low-volume resistance training, low-volume cycling HIIT, and usual pharmacological care in physically inactive older adults with hypertension. HIIT used 30-minute sessions, three times per week for 8 weeks, with 8-10 one-minute hard cycling intervals and two-minute active rests. Both resistance training and HIIT lowered systolic blood pressure, but not diastolic blood pressure, and both reduced the proportion of non-responders over time. HIIT also shifted some participants from worse blood-pressure categories toward normal or lower-risk categories.

## Population

- Physically inactive hypertensive older adults with BMI 25-39.9 kg/m2 and pharmacological treatment.
- Sample size: 39
- Age: Older adults; exact mean not extracted.
- Sex: Mixed; exact distribution not extracted.
- Fitness level: Physically inactive by IPAQ criteria.
- Health status: Hypertension; overweight or obese; enrolled in cardiovascular health management.

## Methodology

- Randomized clinical trial with resistance training, HIIT, and control groups.
- 8 weeks with assessments at baseline, week 4, and week 8.
- Exercise interventions conducted during June-November 2023 for older adults recruited from regular health checkups.
- Randomized and controlled study design.

## Protocol

- Low-volume cycling HIIT for hypertension.
- Modality: Cycle ergometer.
- Work intervals: 1 minute at modified Borg 8-10.
- Recovery: 2 minutes active rest.
- Sets or repetitions: 8-10 intervals.
- Intensity: Borg 8-10, progressed by resistance if below Borg 8.
- Session duration: 30 minutes average including warm-up and cool-down.
- Frequency: 3 sessions per week.
- Program length: 8 weeks.
- Progression: Resistance adjusted every 2 weeks to maintain target intensity.
- Resistance training and pharmacological control.
- Modality: Elastic-band RT or usual pharmacological treatment.
- Work intervals: RT: 1 minute concentric/eccentric exercise at OMNI-RES 8-10.
- Recovery: RT: 2 minutes between sets.
- Sets or repetitions: RT: each exercise repeated three times; bicep curls, seated rows, wide squats.
- Intensity: RT OMNI-RES 8-10; control pharmacological treatment only.
- Session duration: RT: about 30 minutes.
- Frequency: RT: 3 sessions per week.
- Program length: 8 weeks.
- Progression: RT band resistance progressed every two weeks.

## Outcomes

### Systolic blood pressure
Status: improved
HIIT and RT significantly improved SBP by week 8, with average reductions around 12-13 mmHg discussed by authors.

HIIT week 8 p = 0.0005, d = 0.8; RT week 8 p = 0.015, d = 1.12; time effect F = 7.562, p = 0.001.

### Diastolic blood pressure
Status: no clear change
DBP did not significantly change by group, time, or group-by-time interaction.

Group F = 0.722, p = 0.493; time F = 1.803, p = 0.172; group x time F = 0.108, p = 0.979.

### Non-responder prevalence
Status: improved
Non-responder prevalence decreased in HIIT for SBP from 69% at week 4 to 46% at week 8 and for DBP from 69% to 38%.

Reported in Table 3 narrative.

### Blood-pressure category
Status: improved
In HIIT, normal BP increased from 8% to 23%, HTN stage 1 decreased from 38% to 23%, and HTN stage 2 decreased from 46% to 23%.

Reported in Table 4 narrative.

## Practical Insights

- For hypertensive older adults, HIIT can use RPE-based one-minute cycling intervals rather than all-out sprints.
- Eight weeks may reduce apparent non-response compared with four weeks.
- Blood-pressure benefits may be systolic-specific; do not promise DBP reductions from this study.
- Medication-managed users require BP monitoring as exercise lowers pressure.

## Limitations

- Small clinical sample.
- Convenience recruitment.
- Medication co-treatment complicates attribution.
- Actual adverse events and exact attrition were not clearly extracted from visible text.
- Requires supervision and monitoring.

## Safety And Adherence

- HR and BP were measured before and after every session.
- Sessions were to be suspended if SBP > 180 mmHg or DBP > 110 mmHg.
- Adverse event counts were not visible in extracted result sections.

## Original Sources

- [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39852308/) (pubmed)
- [DOI](https://doi.org/10.3390/jcdd12010030) (doi)
- [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11765815/) (full text)

## Agent Guidance

Preserve the paper-level scope of this note. Do not generalize beyond the population, protocol, measured outcomes, and limitations above.