Danielle Bentley is a Doctoral Candidate within the Department of Exercise Science, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Her research looks at the cardiovascular health of post-menopausal women, an at-risk population owing to the lost vascular protection of estrogens. Specifically, Danielle is trying to determine the most effective handgrip exercise protocol for reducing blood pressure in both the short-term (immediately following an exercise bout) and the long-term (following 4-6 weeks of handgrip training).
This is new and exciting research which could help many women improve their cardiovascular health. At the moment, it is well know that aerobic exercise training can be used as an effective means of reducing one’s blood pressure. However, due to various limitations (physical, social, financial, etc.) this form of exercise is not always accessible. Isometric handgrip training may provide an alternative exercise strategy for the non-pharmaceutical control of blood pressure.