Wt training and bone density

[Inatic]

Wt training is good for bone health we know that. Is there a difference in bone health/density with heavy wt training vs hi rep training like there is with muscle 'tone' etc??

[Erik]

Wt training is good for bone health we know that. Is there a difference in bone health/density with heavy wt training vs hi rep training like there is with muscle 'tone' etc??

I haven't checked to see if there is any research on this so this is just my speculation ...

We know that any weight training is better than no weight training when it comes to stimulation of bone mineral density.

Bone mineral density is most stimulated by exercises that load the axial skeleton - think squatting vs leg extensions.

So, given heavier loads challenge the skeleton more than lighter loads, the heavier loads would therefore be more 'stimulating' to BMD. The result would be denser, stronger bones.

[Cindy Day]

Erik of course is right and on the right track.

I found this with several key notes I took away from it.

1. Weight training is probably the ultimate form of exercise for building bone density.
2. research carried out at the University of Maryland in the United States found that endurance runners who trained about 50 miles per week had 10% thinner spines than non-athletes; another study completed at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario discovered that runners logging just 40 miles per week had less-sturdy spines, compared with sofa sloths (“Show a Little Backbone!” Running Research News, Vol. 11 (1), p. 1, 4-6, 1995). Both of these studies were carried out with male subjects, shattering the idea that non-menstruating female athletes are the only ones with spine frailty.
3. If you are doing the same form and amount of exercise all the time, your skeleton has probably already adapted to your exertions and won’t add on any additional bone. You need to do something new.”
4. “It’s best to try to put a fair amount of force – and some compression – on your bones.
5. Drop jumps, rowing and push press are excellent weight loading exercises to stimulate bone density of the spine.
6. If possible, try to use the heaviest weights which you can manage safely. Bones seem to be more responsive when a small to moderate number of large forces are placed upon them, rather than tons of small forces.

Much more here: http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/weight-training-veteran.html

[mackie]

Good stuff here. Thanks for the info, Cindy & Erik. Thanks for bringing it up, Ileen.

[absolut_blonde]

Thanks for the info, Liteweight. I'll keep that in mind next time someone tries to claim that running counts when exercising for bone density purposes. (I've seen this a lot other places, always did seem like a dubious claim to me)

[MaryBeth]

Very interesting!! Erik, do you suppose that all those years of marathoning is what damaged my back? ART doc thinks I've got some arthritis in my lower back.

I know that in the past few years, every time I run, my back hurts and is tight for the next few days.