Authors of a brand-new study sought to understand the effects of a low volume (8 total sets) and high effort strength training program on hypertensive patients in a hospital setting. Subjects (both males and females) strength-trained twice per week for twelve weeks. Traditional approaches to exercise therapy to combat high blood pressure have involved 150 minutes of exercise per week; this time-intensive approach has traditionally led to poor exercise adherence. In this new study, 40 minutes of strength training per week resulted in a 40-point reduction in mean systolic blood pressure. In addition to the time efficiency of the exercise protocol, researchers stressed the importance of lifting and lowering the weights slowly as faster repetition speeds are associated with acute increases in blood pressure.