Medication is the first line of defense in treating hypertension (high blood pressure).  Weight loss and endurance exercises are usually effective for reducing blood pressure.  Brazilian scientists showed that weight training reduced resting blood pressure in hypertensive men.  The subjects stopped taking blood pressure medication for six weeks before the study.  They trained with weights three times a week for twelve weeks.  Resistance exercise reduced systolic blood pressure by 12 to 18 mmHg.  Reduced blood pressure remained stable for four weeks after the exercise.  Weight training increases arterial stiffness, so these findings are surprising.  The study showed that resistance exercise is a viable lifestyle modification for reducing blood pressure in hypertensive men.  (Journal Strength Conditioning Research, 26:  1122-1129, 2012)