Resistance exercise, the Valsalva maneuver, and cerebrovascular transmural pressure.

Purpose: To examine the acute effects of resistance exercise (RE) performed without a Valsalva maneuver (VM) versus a VM performed alone on systolic pressure, intracranial pressure (ICP), and cerebrovascular transmural pressure (CVTMP) (i.e., the important pressure that stresses the cerebral arterial and aneurysmal walls and calculated as systolic pressure minus ICP).