BLOOD FLOW RESPONSE TO

EXERCISE
• At rest only about 20% of our total circulating
blood is directed to skeletal muscle.
• Over 60% of blood flow at rest is directed to liver,
kidney and brain.
• As exercise commences and cardiac output
increases, blood flow is shunted from the organs of
the body to working muscles.
• Blood flow to lungs also increase due to increased
activity of right ventricle which pumps blood to
lungs.
BLOOD PRESSURE RESPONSE TO EXERCISE
• Systolic blood pressure increases linearly with increase in
exercise intensity.
• As greater quantity of blood gas pumped from heart the
pressure rises in blood vessel that transport the blood with
each heart beat.
• In a healthy person with a normal systolic pressure of 120mm
hg vigorous aerobic fitness training can increase systolic
pressure to 180 mm hg and take 10-20 min to return to
resting level.
• With most types o training there is minimal change in diastolic
blood pressure.
• Blood pressure changes with incremental exercise
• The higher the intensity of exercise the greater the rise in heart
rate will be and consequently the larger the increase in systolic
blood pressure.
• This is an important factor when considering the best type of
training for beginners or those with cardiovascular risk factors.
• Lower intensity aerobic fitness training trends to have the
lowest increase in systolic pressure and is therefore the safest
training for new exercisers or those with cardiovascular risk
factors.
• Muscular strength and hypertrophy training with heavy loads are 2
types of training that can however have dramatic effects on rising
blood pressure.
• This occurs because of skeletal muscle under strain from the heavy
load increase the intramuscular pressure as a result the heart has to
work harder to push blood into the tightly contracted muscle and it
can take 20-40 min to return to resting levels.
• As we see in the following graph where a person with a ‘normal’
resting blood pressure of approx 120/80 mm hg can have their
blood pressure increased to approx 240/160 mm hg with heavy
strength training to the muscles o the arm and 280/180 mm hg with
heavy strength training for the larger muscles of the lower body.
• While this does not pose much o danger to an otherwise healthy
individual, it does pose a significant risk of those with raised blood
pressure. This does not mean weight trainng should be avoided,
rather approached with caution and care.
• As this increase in systolic pressure is proportional to the load being
lifted then sticking to lighter loads with higher repitations with a
focus on muscular endurance. Correct technique and breathing
helps to mitigate the risk for beginner exercise or those with blood
pressure concerns.