What does systolic blood pressure represent?

Systolic blood pressure represents the pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts and pumps blood out into the circulation. During this phase, known as systole, the heart's ventricles contract, creating a surge of blood that raises the pressure against the arterial walls, which is measured as systolic blood pressure.

This metric is crucial for assessing cardiovascular health, as it indicates how effectively the heart is functioning at pumping blood throughout the body. High systolic blood pressure can signal underlying health issues such as hypertension, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Understanding systolic blood pressure is essential for health and fitness specialists, as they can use this information to help monitor and improve their clients' cardiovascular health through appropriate exercise and lifestyle modifications.