May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month. So let’s take some time to focus on the benefits of strength training on our bones… our skeleton, our structure, our support system! Without the bones in our body, we’d all be big piles of mush. And the secret to maintaining healthy, strong bones? Well, if you’re reading this, it’s something you are most likely doing already. But before we divulge the not-so-secret hack, we need to understand what we’re talking about. What IS osteoporosis, why do you need to be aware of it, and why do you want to prevent it?
Bare Bones
Let’s look at two definitions.
Osteoporosis: A condition in which bone mineral density and bone mass are lost to such an extent that it becomes critically low, causing bones to be brittle and at risk of breaking.
Osteopenia: The loss of bone mineral density and mass to a level below normal for one’s age. This is the precursor to the more severe degradation that can develop into osteoporosis.
Strong bones are necessary to prevent injury and to lead a fulfilling and productive lifestyle. Health complications caused by osteoporosis can crop up in unexpected ways. For example, older adults who fracture their hips have a much higher risk of mortality within a year of the occurrence. The causality can be from things such as blood clots, sores, infections, or other side effects of being sedentary. It can additionally lead to pneumonia or even a heart attack.
Osteoporosis can have other, non-fatal negative effects, too. Again, it can give rise to fractures or bone breaks, especially in the spine, hips, or wrists; it can cause back pain, decreased mobility, and loss of height. Generally it reduces independence.
Bone Work
But here’s the part where we reveal the solution. Surprising to many people is the fact that resistance and strength training is the answer. Not only can weight training stave off osteoporosis but it can also increase a person’s bone density! It is the leading method of reversing – yes, reversing – osteopenia or osteoporosis. This is true for people of all ages, from youth lifters to seniors. That’s very encouraging because it means that being an active youth puts someone ahead of the game, sometimes exhibiting the same bone mass density as a full-grown adult. Likewise, it is never too late to get in better shape and increase the quality of one’s life.
Training that specifically increases muscle mass and strength also increases bone density and health. Tendons, ligaments, and other tissue become stronger and more resilient, too, through weight-bearing exercise. Immobilization and inactivity have been shown to have the opposite, detrimental effect.
If you are already doing multijoint strength training exercises on a regular basis – congratulations! You are on the path to a more functional body and healthier future.
Bone Up
There are factors that need to be considered, though, when programming strength training to promote osteogenesis – the development or increase in bone mass. Just throwing some weight around without putting any thought into it won’t be very productive.
The first element is the big one. As mentioned, multijoint exercises are concretely necessary for the adaptation to happen. Working targeted areas or small muscle groups does not have the same effect. Other components of strength training that stimulate bone growth are:
1) Intensity of the load – the amount of weight that is on the barbell. Follow the classic concept of progressive overload just as you do for increasing muscle mass and strength!
2) Rate/speed of loading
3) Volume
4) Direction of the force vectors. The force vectors should load through the spine and hips – i.e. executing “structural exercises”.
Finally, bone formation can be stimulated within a training program by making sure that both heavy-loaded exercises and ballistic or high-impact exercises. The variety in intensity of force will have a positive effect on development.
So periodically check up on your program. Are you following a sound strength-training program? If not, this is a great time to start one or to modify your existing routine. SBWC is always here to help you evaluate your strength training or get started on your fitness journey. Book a FREE intro or call today and Remember – what is good for your muscles is good for your tendons, ligaments, and bones, too. You might not be bulletproof, but you’ll be much closer to it.
