It’s natural for a person’s blood pressure to rise considerably during weight training. But research on this subject so far hasn’t shown that the elevated heart rate stays with a person in the hours after exercise.
In a recent study at the University of Maryland, researchers tested healthy young men and women with varying exercise habits. In the experiment, all the groups lifted weights on 12 different machines for 45 to 60 minutes. The participants’ heart rate and blood pressure were monitored throughout the rest of the day and that night.
The group that didn’t regularly exercise showed no more elevation in heart rate in the 24 hours after exercise than on a control, or normal, day. In addition, no significant difference overall was found between any of the groups. The researchers concluded that the rise in blood pressure during weight lifting doesn’t seem to last throughout the day, at least not in healthy young people.