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Analysis of trials involving 16,000 people found wall squats and planking lowered high blood pressure.
Current guidance focusing mainly on walking, running and cycling should be updated, the UK researchers say.
These isometric exercises are designed to build strength without moving muscles or joints.
Isometric exercises place a very different stress on the body to aerobic exercise, says study author Jamie O'Driscoll.
Resting blood pressure was reduced by 8.24/4mmHg after isometric-exercise training, almost twice the reduction as from aerobic exercise.
O'Driscoll recommends 2 minutes of wall squats, or holding the plank position four times with 2 minutes' rest, three times a week.
The BHF charity said exercise was good for heart health and could reduce the risk of heart and circulatory diseases by up to 35%.
Anyone concerned about their blood pressure is advised to ask their GP to ask about the type of exercise best suited to your condition.
Research by Canterbury Christ Church University, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
