18 February, 2008
Ask the coach: Can weight training increase bone density?
Question
Is it true that weight training helps prevent osteoporosis and can increase bone density?
Answer
A study by Kerr in 1996 on 56 post-menopausal women who weight trained for one year showed that bone density only increased when the women lifted heavy weights. What's more, the women increased their bone density when they chose weights that prevented them from completing nine repetitions.
Bone density did not increase when women did three sets of 20 repetitions. The study found that there was a significant correlation between the change in bone mineral density and the percentage increase in strength, which suggests that post-menopausal bone mass can be increased by training.
Young bone responds better than mature bone, so it is important you start weight training as early as possible. If you start training before your thirties, you will have a higher peak to come down from.
The exercises that improve bone growth are compound exercises such as a barbell back squat that involves compression.By increasing your muscle strength, it assists in the prevention of falls in the elderly -- muscle weakness has been identified as one of the biggest potentially modifiable risk factors for falling.