By: Joann Bally
There’s a lot to be said about osteoporosis, but all I’m going to talk about here is how to use strength training to help prevent it. You have to give your bones more stress than they’re used to for them to respond by getting stronger. The most common sites of osteoporotic fracture are the lumbar spine, the hip (area of the neck of the femur), and the distal radius (the thumb side of the wrist). Although there is no overall agreement on how to strengthen these sites, I believe the studies I have read point to the approach I describe here.
Biking and swimming are great cardio exercise, but don’t help your bones because your weight is supported by the bicycle or the water. If one of these is your sport, you need to add strength training. Running is good because of the impact, but like walking, it only strengthens the lumbar spine. It doesn’t put enough stress on the hip, and doesn’t come near the wrist. To get to those sites, you need strength training.
Light weights and high repetitions do not challenge your bones enough. Use a weight that fatigues your muscles after 6-8 repetitions. At a gym, do a leg press or some sort of squat, plus a bench press or chest press, and a pulldown to even things out. If you work out at home without equipment, at least do body weight squats (one leg if you’re strong enough) and some sort of pushup. Do dumbbell exercises standing to strengthen your spine. Benches or machines support your weight, and you want your bones and muscles to do that. Get some instruction if necessary, and always use good technique for your exercises. Work out two or three times a week, on non-consecutive days.
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