Examples of studies that show weight/resistance training increases bone density

The research findings related to weight training or resistance exercises has clearly changed in the last 25 years.  By the mid-1990s, there were many studies undertaken.  In the last 10-15 years, many more studies on post-menopausal women or older men were done.  It's pretty clear that improving bone density with appropriate exercises is not only possible, the change can happen in relatively short amounts of time, meaning less than a year.  Here are a few examples.

A Huffington Post article in 2011 titled Women, Weights and Osteoporosis referenced three studies from 2000, 2003, 2007.  The author was a fitness professional wrote about the concept that weight training helps if the weight involved is relatively heavy.  Meaning more than 10 pounds, which she said was the average weight of a handbag.

The study reported in 2007 in Osteoporosis Intl. involved about 70 young women in the U.S. who did resistance training for five months, split between concentric and eccentric isokinetic exercises.  The exercises were high-intensity and slow-velocity.  The non-dominant side was the control that was compared to the dominant side.  The results showed clear improvement in bone mineral density (BMD) for hip and arm.

A similar study done in Australia was reported in 1996 in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research that involved 56 post menopausal women who did either strength or endurance training on one side for a year.  For strength training, the women did 3 sets of 8 reps at a high load on one.  Endurance training was 3 sets of 20 reps, presumably at a lower weight than for strength.  Which side was used for strength vs. endurance was chosen at random.  The conclusion was:

"Postmenopausal bone mass can be significantly increased by a strength regimen that uses high-load low repetitions but not by an endurance regimen that uses low-load high repetitions.  We conclude that the peak load is more important than the number of loading cycles in increasing bone mass in early postmenopausal women."

A small study done in Norway reported in January 2013 in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning involved 16 post menopausal women who were diagnosed with osteoporosis.  Eight women did short but intensive squat workouts on a weight machine three times a week for 12 weeks.  They were compared to eight controls.  The idea was that if a woman could do more than 5 reps, then the weight was increased.  The goal was to warm up and then do 4 sets of 3-5 reps with 85-90 percent of the maximum weight possible for 1 rep.  Even with only one exercise and a relatively short period, BMD increased significantly in the exercise group.

Procrastinators Fitness Guide: 5 exercises to start ski conditioning

Fall colors are past peak in the high country of the NY Adirondacks.  There is snow in the high mountains of the Rockies.  Snow guns are running in Colorado, Vermont, and elsewhere.  Are you feeling ready for ski season?  There is still time to get into better shape.  But how to start?

The SkiNet Procrastinators Fitness Guide (link below) covers 5 exercises that can be done at home or in the gym.  Includes lunges, calf raises, hamstring lift.  Doing all the exercises could be a bit intense for someone who hasn't done any ski conditioning before.  In that case, take a look any way and decide on a few goals to work towards.

Procrastinator's Fitness Guide

The objective is to do some deliberate ski conditioning three times a week for 6-12 weeks.  Remember that ski conditioning is not just a matter of strength.  Improving balance and flexibility can make skiing easier and more fun.