Effect of three training protocols on blood pressure and heart rate in normotensive men

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death in Brazil and one of these diseases is hypertension. Regular practice of physical exercise may contribute to a better control of blood pressure and individuals with higher levels of physical fitness have lower risk for developing hypertension. In addition, people with lower heart rate have lesser likelihood for developing cardiovascular diseases. Objective: Compare the effect of aerobic, strength and combined training on systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure and at the resting heart rate in normotensive men. Methods: A randomized trial with three experimental groups and one control group was conducted. Each experimental group practiced a determined type of training, three times per week during, twelve weeks. Men aged 30 to 57 years, sedentary and normotensive participated in this study. Blood pressure and heart rate values were checked at pre and post-intervention in all four groups by using a validated automatic device as recommend the Brazilian Cardiologic Society. The data were compared by Student’s t test and by ANOVA one-way. Results: 39 participants completed the study. There was no significant variation of systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure and at the resting heart rate in the three experimental groups between pre and post-intervention. However, only heart rate in three training groups showed differences when compared to the control group. Conclusion: The results suggest aerobic, strength or combined training when performed as in this study did not change blood pressure significantly in normotensive men.