Muscle Strength Influences Pressor Responses to Static Handgrip in Men and Women.

Purpose: Whether differences in absolute muscle strength impact blood pressure (BP) responses to relative intensity static exercise remains controversial but could contribute to known sex-based differences and influence the interpretation of cross-sectional data. Methods: One hundred thirty-two healthy participants (66 men and 66 women, age: 22+/-3yrs) underwent continuous seated measurements of BP (Finometer) and heart rate (electrocardiography) during baseline rest and two minutes of static handgrip (30% maximal voluntary contraction [MVC]). BP and heart rate responses were quantified in 30-second epochs during exercise and compared between men and women with and without statistical adjustment (ANCOVA) for differences in baseline BP (or heart rate), forearm girth, and handgrip MVC. Within each sex, BP and heart rate responses were compared also between tertiles of handgrip MVC (n=22 per group). Results: Men had larger systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure responses during static handgrip than women (interaction term, All P0.35). In men, BP responses were smaller within the lowest tertile of handgrip MVC (interaction term, All P

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