Bullworker Training and High Blood Pressure Hello everybody.

Once again the old topic of elevated BP and isometric training. I recently got a Bullworker Super 4 manufactured in India. I bought it from a local sports goods store for Rs550/- about US$11/-. Well. I regularly train with a Bullworker. Till now with an old BW3- of course Indian model. This I received as a gift from one of my friends in 1992. Before that I had an old one, which I got from the attic of my uncle in 1977. Ever since I began my training with this isometrics of BW, people advice me on the training effects-more importantly on the adverse effects of BW. Your hands will shiver if you train with BW You will get hyper tension You are too young to train with a BW You will get tendonitis You will get torn muscles

I can give you a page full of such sincere advices. In spite of all this I carried on with my training. My training in martial arts of course Indian, required great strength to grapple. Along with the traditional dands, bethaks and an amazing array of body weight exercises, I trained with the BW. Many of the exercises are done while I hold the breath. I vary the contraction times from the text book mentioned 7 seconds to up to 30 seconds. I vary the intensity of the contraction from about 50% of my maximum to 100%. Apart from occasional tendonitis, I suffered from none of those much published adverse effects. I got stronger and even now I will turn 44 next month, I maintain my strength. I do a lot of pranayama - the yogic breathing exercise with lot of breath retention. Since I get lot of information on the supposed elevation of blood pressure during isometrics and especially when training with the BW, I decided to monitor my blood pressure before, during and after the BW exercises. This test was done today the 10th of October 2006, 4.30 pm IST by a Doctor of Medicine who has 35 years of distinguished service in the Health department of the Government of Kerala to her credit. Before going into the details of the test let us have a look at the following: Blood pressure is the force applied against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body. The pressure is determined by the force and amount of blood pumped and the size and flexibility of the arteries. Your blood pressure is at its highest when the heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When the heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure. The normal or healthy BP is 120/80 A reading of 14/90 is the borderline one or the upper limit that is medically safe.

Both are important. Usually they are written one above or before the other, such as 120/80 mmHg. The top number is the systolic and the bottom the diastolic.

Now to the details of the test: Name Age Bull worker model used Test conducted by Exercise used R.Venkitachalam 43 years and 11 months Bullworker Super 4/Indian Dr. Radha Bai Front chest press

The Blood pressure was recorded three times: Active/Passive At rest Active Breathing BP Reading Normal 120/80 Gentle 130/80 exhalation Active 100% * 30 seconds Full Breath 140/80 retention * After about 10 seconds I could no longer apply my initial effort and even though I applied the maximum force that could be generated by me, the strength levels went considerably down to about 50% of what I applied at the beginning. Effort N/A 60% of Max Duration N/A 30 seconds

Oh! I here someone there pointing at the increased levels of BP. I agree that there was a slight increase in the BP. But the increase is in the systolic reading and that too is well within the healthy limits. The highest reading was for the full contraction WITH breath retention. It can be safely assumed that BP gets beyond what the accepted healthy norm, only when extreme contraction and breathe retention are done for longer durations. If the contractions are maintained at the 60% of the maximum there is no risk. Even in the case of 100% effort, there seems no risk for trained persons. This is just a beginning. I plan to conduct extensive tests on the effect of BW exercise on the blood pressure. Your valuable suggestions are appreciated. Venki

**What is written comes from the personal experience of the author. Nothing is implied, promised or guaranteed. Certainly this is NOT a medical advice. Always consult your physician before undertaking any exercise program