How Strength Training Can Help Protect Your Bone Density

Many different tissues are affected by the aging process, including bone tissue. As people age, they tend to experience a gradual decrease in bone density.

Bone density refers to the amount of minerals (like calcium) that the bone contains. High bone density means that the bone is stronger and less likely to break. Low bone density increases the risk of experiencing a fracture (a broken bone). Reduced bone density is known as osteopenia, while very low bone density is called osteoporosis.

As you age, it’s important to protect your bone density. If you experience a fracture, it can have a permanent impact on your quality of life. About half of all people who experience a hip fracture never get back to their previous level of function. A fracture can even be fatal—about one third of people die within a year after a hip fracture.

To help reduce your likelihood of experiencing a fracture, it’s important to protect your bone density. One way to do this is by doing resistance training. This is the type of exercise that people typically use to build strength—weightlifting, pulling on resistance bands, or doing bodyweight exercises like pushups. Just a small amount of resistance training each week can help to keep your bones strong.

How does resistance training improve bone density?

When you do a resistance training exercise like lifting weights, your bones experience mechanical stress, both from the pressure of the weight itself and from the tension that your muscles create as they pull on your bones.

When bone tissue experiences mechanical stress, it responds by getting stronger. Cells known as osteoblasts are stimulated to add more mineralized bone tissue within the bone. This increases bone density and makes the bone more resistant to breaking.

This type of mechanical stress is actually required for increasing bone density. Most people know that calcium is important for bone health, and they eat a lot of calcium-containing foods in order to protect their bones. But without mechanical stress on the bones, the calcium won’t be deposited into the bone tissue—it will end up in other places in the body, or will simply be lost. Resistance training is needed to cause your body to use that calcium to strengthen your bones.

In addition to improving bone density, resistance training also helps to build muscle. This can help to reduce the risk of falls, because stronger muscles are better able to support you. Preventing falls is another way to reduce the risk of a fracture, making strength training even more important for healthy aging.

How much resistance training do you need?

Strength training is crucial for protecting your bone density, and it becomes more and more important as you age. But how much strength training is enough?

Experts generally recommend including strength training two to three days each week. During each session, choose a few different exercises that target muscles in different parts of your body. This could include lunges, squats, step-ups, deadlifts, and the overhead press.

Do 8 to 12 repetitions (reps) of each exercise. For exercises involving weights, choose a weight that makes your muscles feel tired by the time you complete these reps. Over time, as you get stronger, you’ll gradually increase the weight.

As you’re getting started, it’s a great idea to seek the advice of a personal trainer. They can customize an exercise plan that will work well for you, taking into account any injuries or medical conditions that might affect your training. Some people also find it more motivating and enjoyable to work out with a trainer than to do this alone.

You also don’t have to do your strength training in a gym—you can work out in your own home. Many strength training exercises can be done with no special equipment, and others simply require a few small hand weights, which don’t take up much space. If you prefer the convenience of strength training at home, this can be a great option.

Research has shown that regular strength training can maintain or improve bone density. Simply committing to a few minutes a week of resistance training can make a significant difference in the quality—and even the length—of your life.