Research on effectiveness of weight and resistance training for building bone

Research related to bone density is being done not only by physicians, but also people working in the nutrition and fitness fields.  The study populations are usually restricted to one of three groups: pre-menopausal women, post-menopausal women, and men.  Many studies support the idea that weight and resistance training (high load, low reps) can make a difference in as little as six months.  Even if there is not clear improvement, the treatment group is more likely to hold steady instead of losing bone density during the study period.  Most studies last less than two years.  Below are a few examples.

Effects or high-intensity resistance and bone mineral density and muscle strength or 40-50-year-old women
Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 1997, Vol. 37, Num. 4, pp. 246-251.  Authors at UNC-Chapel Hill in the Dept. of Physical Education, Radiology, and Nutrition

Systematic strength training as a model of therapeutic intervention. A controlled trial in postmenopausal women with osteopenia
Am J Phys Med Rehabil., 1996, Jan-Feb;75(1):21-8.  Authors at the Department of Sports and Performance Medicine/Internal Medicine IV, University of Vienna, Austria.

Effectiveness of resistance training or jumping-exercise to increase bone mineral density in men with low bone mass: A 12-month randomized, clinical trial
The Bone Journal, Oct 2015, Vol. 79, pp. 203-212.  Authors at Univ. of Missouri in the Dept. of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology.

Bone building for the spine using weight exercises

Strengthening the spine using weight exercises is not that difficult.  However, it's important to use the correct form as well as the correct weight.  The idea is to develop form using a lighter weight but need to work up to a heavy weight in order to encourage bone growth.  The general guideline is to work up to a weight that allows 5-8 reps.  Doing heavy weight exercises 2-3 times a week has been shown to be enough to encourage bone growth over 6-12 months.

1) Weight lifting to prevent osteoporosis, 6 min
Importance of stacking the skeleton

2) Osteoporosis Exercises for Spine Strength and Posture - Australia, 9 min

Working on the middle of the back

Building bone at any age is possible

The best time to work at building bone is before age 40 or so.  However, for those over 50 it's not too late.  Even those who have been diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis can improve their bone mineral density in 1-2 years.  Just as there are many reasons for bone loss, there are also many approaches to building bone.  Nutrition, medication, supplements, exercise all can play a role.

The website Osteopenia3 is a good place to start learning about both the causes for bone loss and potential ways to increase bone density.  The objective is help someone learn enough to figure out what can help for their individual situation.

Osteopenia and Osteoporsis Treatments and Cures

The creator is a retired professor, Kate Lindemann, who learned she had a bone loss problem after breaking a wrist a while back.  She writes in clear language and provides plenty of references for more information.  Clearly Prof. Lindemann's research proved useful in helping her to build bone.  Her bone density score at age 74 was +3.5, far exceeding the normal value for a woman much younger.

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.

How to lift weights to stimulate osteoblasts to build new bone

The following ideas about how to use weight lifting to build new bone come from a website created by a woman who is not a medical professional, but is a professor.  She learned from her own experience that it is possible to reverse bone loss in a year or two.  Her website is a good resource for learning about the variety of causes of bone loss and the many ways that it can be dealt with.

Considerations for Bone Density Exercises
http://www.osteopenia3.com/bone-density-exercises.html

1. Our osteoblasts [the bone cells that make new bone] respond to increased stress on our bones. Different exercises tend to stress different parts of our body so it is a good idea to change off from one type of exercise to another every few weeks.  

Example: ride a resistance recumbent bike for two weeks as your warm up for weight lifting at the gym. Then stop using the bike and use the stair climbing machine for two weeks. Or if you are working out at home, do some dancing for your warm up for a couple weeks. Then switch to walking up and down the stairs as your warm up. 

2. If you are lifting weights, doing strength training, be sure to rest one or two days between sessions. If you do these exercises everyday, your muscles will not have time to recover.  

3. Remember it is stress on the bone that stimulates the osteoblasts. When lifting weights, the best bone density exercise is to lift a weight heavy enough that you can only do 7-8 repetitions. When you can do 15 repetitions of a weight, go to the next higher weight. 

4. Lift SLOWLY. Try to lift each weight to a slow count of eight up and then down to a count of eight down. Slow lifting is the key to stronger bones. 

5. It is normal to feel a bit sore the next day...or even on the third day. But you should not feel real pain either when you lift or after your exercises. If you are feeling pain, go back down to a lower weight and lift slowly until your muscles strengthen.

Check out what an 81yo can do with a heavy kettlebell

Pilates for a strong core

The first time I tried Pilates, it made sense.  More sense than yoga because you keep moving.  For me, that means I stay interested.  All that is needed to strengthen the core is mat Pilates.  No need for the fancier variations that require equipment.

Here is a short set of Pilates exercises for skiing.  Can you guess how old this ski instructor is?  She's been teaching at Vail full-time for 30 years.  Started teaching Pilates ten years ago.