Nearly 2 million men in the United States have osteoporosis, a condition that makes bones weak and prone to breakage, and 16 million more have low bone mass. A new study suggests certain weightlifting exercises, like squats and deadlifts, might increase bone mass.
“Weightlifting programs exist to increase muscular strength, but less research has examined what happens to bones during these types of exercises,” said Pam Hinton, associate professor and the director of nutritional sciences graduate studies in the nutrition and exercise physiology department at University of Missouri.
“Our study is the first to show that exercise-based interventions work to increase bone density in middle-aged men with low bone mass who are otherwise healthy. These exercises could be prescribed to reverse bone loss associated with aging.”
Significant Improvement
For the new study, published in the journal Bone, researchers looked at 38 physically active, middle-aged men who completed either a weightlifting program or a jumping program for a year. Both programs required participants to complete 60–120 minutes of targeted exercises each week.
The participants took calcium and vitamin D supplements throughout their training programs. Bone mass was measured at the beginning of the study and again at 6 and 12 months using specialized X-ray scans of the whole body, hip, and lumbar spine.
Bone mass of the whole body and lumbar spine significantly increased after six months of completing the weightlifting or jumping programs, and this increase was maintained at 12 months. Hip bone density only increased among those who completed the weightlifting program.
