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The wall sit: blood pressure’s surprise champion

A review of 270 trials found that ‘holding still’ exercises like the wall sit lowered blood pressure more than any other type of exercise.

By Bernard Aoun, MDUpdated September 2026
An older adult holding a wall sit with feet planted on the floor

High blood pressure rarely causes symptoms, yet it is one of the biggest drivers of heart attacks and strokes. Nearly half of US adults have it. Exercise has long been part of the treatment, usually in the form of brisk walking or cycling. A large 2023 analysis found an unexpected winner.

The study

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Researchers in the UK pooled 270 randomized trials in which people did at least two weeks of a particular type of exercise. Every type lowered resting blood pressure. But isometric exercise, where your muscles work hard without moving, such as a wall sit, plank or firm squeeze of a handgrip, lowered it the most.

How much each type of exercise lowered blood pressure

Average drop in the top (systolic) number, in mmHg

Isometricwall sits, planks, handgrip squeezes

−8.2

Combinedaerobic plus strength

−6.0

Strength trainingweights, bands

−4.6

Aerobicwalking, cycling, running

−4.5

Interval trainingshort hard bursts

−4.1

Edwards et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023. Network meta-analysis of 270 randomized trials. Running was the single best activity for the bottom (diastolic) number.

Why does it matter? In a pooled analysis of large blood pressure trials, every 5-point drop in the top number cut the risk of major heart and blood vessel events by about 10%.

What a wall sit looks like

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  1. Stand with your back against a wall, feet about hip-width apart and a step out from the wall.
  2. Slide down until your knees are bent, only as far as feels comfortable. You don’t need to reach a right angle.
  3. Hold, breathing normally. Never hold your breath.
  4. Many trials used short routines, for example four holds of up to two minutes with rest in between, about three times a week. Start with 20 to 30 seconds and build up.

Check first with your clinician if your blood pressure is very high or not under control, if you have heart disease, or if your knees hurt. Exercise works alongside blood pressure medicine, not instead of it.

Try it yourself. Measure your grip strength

This article is for general education and is not medical advice for any individual.

References
  1. Edwards JJ, et al. Exercise training and resting blood pressure: a large-scale pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(20):1317–1326.
  2. Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists’ Collaboration. Pharmacological blood pressure lowering for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease across different levels of blood pressure. Lancet. 2021;397(10285):1625–1636.
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Bernard Aoun, MD. The wall sit: blood pressure’s surprise champion. Tortoise Time. Updated September 2026. https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/wall-sits-and-blood-pressure

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