The blood pressure response of two popular kettlebell routines

Abstract

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) has been the leading killer of adults in the United States for nearly 80 years and hypertension (HTN) is the chief indicator of future cardiovascular complications (Lloyd-Jones et al., 2010). Fortunately, even small decreases in BP can reduce all cause mortality, death due to stroke, and death due to CVD by 7%, 14%, and 9& respectively (D. W. Jones & Hall, 2004; Sharman & Stowasser, 2009). Exercise has repeatedly been shown to reduce BP acutely (Pescatello et al., 2004; Sharman & Stowasser, 2009; Wallace, 2003). This immediate decrease in BP is called post-exercise hypotension (PEH) and has been reported to last upwards of 22 hours (Quinn, 2000). As of today, only walking, jogging, running, and cycling have been studied extensively but the ACSM recommends that any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmical and aerobic in nature” be used as the primary BP reducing modality for those with HTN (Pescatello, et al., 2004). One such mode of exercise that meets that requirement is kettlebell swings. The use of kettlebells have been reported to have a similar cardiovascular response to moderate-vigorous running(Farrar, Mayhew, & Koch, 2010).

The question can then best asked if a single bout of kettlebell exercise is sufficient enough to elicit a significant PEH response. The purpose of this study is to determine if two popular kettlebell routines produce a significant PEH response. It was hypothesized that both KB exercise routines would produce clinically and statistically significant decreases in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) post-exercise during recovery.

Eight resistance trained pre-hypertensive and HTN males performed a randomized cross-over designed study which included 12 minutes of continuous two-handed swings (THS), three sets of a 6 exercise circuit (CIR), and a resting control (CON). Participants rested for 20 minutes after exercise before initial post-exercise BP and heart rate (HR) were recorded. Measurements occurred every 30 minute for 120 minutes. Statistical significance was determined by two-way ANOVA with repeated measures and TUKEY post-hoc analysis. Clinical significance was determined as a reduction in SBP <130 mmHg or DBP < 80 mm Hg.

CIR and THS significantly lowed SBP by -8.5 ± 4.5 and -9.3 ± 4.4 mmHg, respectively, ( p<0.05). The reductions in SBP values were also clinically significant during all post-exercise measurements for CIR and during minute 0, 60, 90, & 120 for THS. A clinically significant decrease in DBP occurred at minute 30 and 60 for CIR. Heart rate significantly elevated above CON and rest during minute 0 for CIR and THS (23 ± 4.7 and 21 ± 4.7 bpm respectively, p < 0.001)

The purpose of this study was to determine if two popular kettlebell exercise routines were significant enough to produce significant PEH responses. Our hypothesis was correct as both routines reduced blood pressure to values that were both clinically and statistically significant. These results indicate that kettlebell exercise is an effective modality for decreasing blood pressure acutely in resistance trained males who are pre-hypertensive or hypertensive.