One in three women and one in five men suffer from osteoporosis, as people get older or more sedentary.
Doing weight bearing activity is vital in achieving good bone health. The stress which is placed on the bones by exercises such as weight lifting, plyometrics and running stimulates the body to build and maintain strong bones. It does this because the impact generated by exercise compresses the bone matrix, triggering the bone to take in calcium and other minerals and thereby increasing bone density. A study by Kevin Deere et al at the University of Bristol in the UK looked at the bone loading which was needed to stimulate bone mineralisation in teenagers and found the amount of loading required was 4.2 times their body weight* this means that a 70kg person must load the bones with 294kg to trigger bone building.
Activities like weight training, plyometrics or jumping are options to fight osteoporosis. Choose the right exercises and the right load in order to avoid overloading and creating other musculoskeletal issues.
* Deere, et al., Habitual levels of high, but not moderate or low, impact activity are positively related to hip BMD and geometry: results from a population-based study of adolescents.
