Why Does Weight Lifting Increase Blood Pressure?

When you perform any type of exercise — whether it's aerobic, strength training, stretching, or even balance exercises — both your blood pressure and heart rate increase to meet the greater demand for oxygen from your muscles.

Can lifting heavy objects raise blood pressure?

Weightlifting can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure. This increase can be dramatic, depending on how much weight you lift. But, weightlifting can also have long-term benefits to blood pressure that outweigh the risk of a temporary spike for most people.

How much does weightlifting increase BP?

Over all, it found that weight training lowered resting systolic blood pressure (the top number in a pressure reading) by 2 percent, and diastolic pressure by about 4 percent — small gains that can greatly improve cardiovascular health.

Alexander Ross

Alexander Ross

Gaming, Esports & Interactive Media Writer

Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.