A Workout to Prevent Osteoporosis

Strengthen Bone with this Exercise Program

This program is for men and women who want to do as much as they can to protect their bone density and strength, even though our genes have a substantial influence on how well bones develop and stay strong. Good nutrition with adequate calcium and vitamin D is also necessary to get the best from an exercise program.

Weights and Impact Training is Best

Recent research suggests that both weight training and impact exercises, such as running, jogging and jumping, may have their own distinct qualities. A combination of both seems to be important, especially as strength and balance prevents falls leading to bone fractures.

For a background discussion, read: The Best Exercises to Prevent Osteoporosis

This workout program consists of the following:

• Aerobic impact exercise at least five days each week for at least 30 to 45 minutes
• Weight training at least 2 days each week with specific exercises

The aerobic training will consist of impact exercise, such as fast walking, jogging or step aerobics at the gym — or anything resembling physical activity that requires you to cause a relatively sudden and repetitive "impact" to the muscles, tendons and bones.

The weight training program will emphasize the same weight loading principle and include similar training for the upper body, which you obviously don’t get from walking or jogging.

Impact Cardio

Do five sessions of at least 30 to 45 minutes each week. You can mix and match exercises or divide the time into smaller sessions. Start slowly if you're new to exercise. Get a medical clearance if unsure.

Concentrate on hitting the pavement or the treadmill surface strongly, but not so hard that you stress knee joints excessively. Cycling, swimming or gym machines, such as ski machines and cross trainers where you anchor your feet and let the machine do the footwork, are not ideal, although they do provide a fitness workout. Stair climber machines are excellent for what you need in this program.

Weights

The weights program is designed to build bone density and increase muscle strength and balance, which helps minimize falls.

Do 3 sets of 12 repetitions of each exercise. Read up on weight training basics, if you need further guidance on first principles. Start moderately, then progressively build up the weights and intensity of the workout over the weeks. Using light weights with many repetitions is not suitable. You need to make muscle and bone work relatively hard.

Squats

• Do these with or without weights starting out. Build up gradually, so that you can do 3 sets of exercises. One way to start at a basic level until you get leg strength is to do body squats with a fitness ball placed behind your back on a wall. This provides support and keeps your back straight.
• Weights can be placed on the shoulders or hung by the sides.

Bounce pushup

• You can do these with your knees on the ground, which is easier, or in the traditional manner on toes and hands. In any case, you should do a little bounce off the ground as you lift your body up.
• One method is to clap your hands under your body as you lift up. You don’t need to do this, but you do need to do a little “bounce,” where hands come off the floor and then impact the ground for the next pushup. This is done easier with knee pushups.

Dumbbell lunge

• Choose dumbbells as heavy as you feel comfortable with, step forward, ensuring the knee does not travel past the toes, then return.
• Give your leading foot a good stamp on the floor as you stride out.

Overhead push press

• Stand with dumbbells or a barbell at the chest. You can even use a medicine ball held in two hands. Feet should be placed firmly about shoulder width apart.
• Dip down by bending the knees, hips and ankles slightly. (This is the “push” part.)
• Rapidly press the weight upward using the legs to help drive your momentum. The heels should lift slightly off the floor as you rise on to your toes briefly.
• Drive the weights up off the shoulders, extending arms overhead. Although experienced weight lifters tend to lock out the elbow joints, you may wish to maintain slightly bent elbows at the top of the press until your joints are conditioned.
• Return the weight to shoulders and repeat.
• This exercise should be done fast for best effect.

The push-press is an excellent all-around power and strength exercise. It provides the intensity and bounce impact required for pulling and pushing the muscles, tendons and ligaments around the bones of the wrists, ankles, hips and spine — all sites prone to breaks or deformity when bones get frail.

Standing bounce jumps

• This simple exercise is performed standing on a firm surface and pushing upward in a bounce until your feet leave the floor a few inches.
• Like the bounce pushups, the idea is to stress the bones and connecting tissue with repetitive jolts. If you find this too hard on the calf muscles to begin with, try starting with heel raises only. You can increase intensity by adding weights.

Wrist curls

• A broken wrist from falling is a common injury in people who, in older age, lose muscle strength and balance, which leads to falls and broken wrists as weak bones attempt to cushion the fall.
• Wrist curls make the muscles and bones of the forearm work hard. You can do these with dumbbells or a barbell, palms facing down or up. Try both ways.

Step ups

• This exercise uses a box, a platform or steps. You step up and down with alternate legs. Ensure the platform is fixed and stable, place a leg on the box, then the other, step down, then repeat.
• You can use the steps at home for variety, and you can hold dumbbells at the sides for extra intensity. Build intensity with higher platforms and heavier weights.

_{Sources:
Progressive high-intensity resistance training and bone mineral density changes among premenopausal women: evidence of discordant site-specific skeletal effects. Martyn-St James M, Carroll S. Sports Med. 2006;36(8):683-704. Review.
High-intensity resistance training and postmenopausal bone loss: a meta-analysis. Martyn-St James M, Carroll S. Osteoporos Int. 2006;17(8):1225-40.
Meta-analysis of walking for preservation of bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. Martyn-St James M, Carroll S. Bone. 2008 May 26.}