Weight Lifting and Blood Pressure
In tiny or small spaces, the Canadian Armed Forces developed a progressive training program using calisthenics and whole body exercises. The intensity of the exercise would be too much for many people, but you can now see versions of the XBX program online on Youtube. HIstorical films of crazy young men. Callen has invented a crazy training method for young women, called callentics. This method involves isometric contractions of different muscular groups. Recent weight-lifting authors have advocated things like maximum contraction training. This is even harder than isometric training.
I do not agree with sustained isormetric, maximal or supramaximal training for beginners or older subjects because of the blood pressure response. In a classic study on a small sample of weight lifters by McDougall and Sale, the instantaneous blood pressure in the arterial system was measured during weight lifting. They showed it will immediately be raised to over twice resting levels, or higher. This is the result of muscle contraction, closing blood vessels. This is the normal physiological response. But in more gentle exercise there is rest between muscular contractions, so blood pressure is not forced upwards in an unsafe manner. The blood still flows..
The blood flows through the body from the heart, to the arteries to the capillaries in the individualtissues, to the veins, and back to the heart. The high pressure side of the system is from the left ventricle of the heart, and the arteries. A textbook blood pressure is 120 mmHg (Torr) Systolic pressure, over 80 mmHg Diastolic pressure. The pressure in the system (diastolic) is overcome during each beat of the heart by the pressure inside the heart (systolic). When the pressure developed inside the heart exceeds the pressure in the aorta, a valve opens up and blood is pumped out of the heart. So, if you have high blood pressure, the heart works harder. Let's imagine you have high resting blood pressure, and then you begin to perform maximal muscular contractions. What would happen? The heart would have to develop extra pressure to overcome the resistance in the system.
If you are going to try maximal contractions, do them after training your body over time with lighter lifting, Do not perform maximal contractions as a beginner or if you do not know your resting blood pressure. It is not advised to attempt maximal training with high blood pressure, because this will make it higher.
Position stands and recommendations for training for adults and seniors and youth can be found published by the American College of Sports Medicine. Please refer to their guidelines. For training, hire a kinesiologist who follows these published guidelines.