More recent research has yielded similar results regarding handgrip exercises and reductions in blood pressure, even for people with additional heart issues or other health problems. Researchers from a 2020 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association set out to determine if handgrip exercises affected blood pressure measurements in patients with peripheral artery disease. Participants engaged in three exercise sessions weekly for eight weeks that involved doing four sets of hand contractions held for two minutes with four minutes of rest in between. Those in the training group utilized a handgrip device, while those in the control group were given a compression ball. Participants in the intervention group experienced improvements in circulation and drops in brachial diastolic blood pressure — measurements taken from the brachial artery in the arm.
Perhaps in addition to improving blood pressure in patients with peripheral artery disease, a 2022 study in Korea published in Frontiers in Physiology found that greater handgrip strength was associated with decreased blood pressure in patients with hypertension, including those with visceral adipose dysfunction (VAD), which has been seen in connection with obesity. Of course, some of us naturally have a stronger grip than others. If you’re struggling to twist open that bottle cap, here’s why you may have poor grip strength.