Training to support your bone density
What actually builds bone?
Bone responds to strain magnitude and strain rate, not duration. That means heavy load and fast impact. It does not respond meaningfully to walking, swimming, cycling, or Pilates on their own, and it is site-specific: loading the spine does nothing for the hip. Anything that doesn’t exceed what the skeleton already does habitually is maintenance at best.
Two separate stimuli are needed, so both run through every stage below:
- Heavy resistance training (progressive overload, eventually genuinely heavy)
- Impact/loading through the skeleton (hops, jumps, drop landings)
Balance and posture work sits alongside both. It doesn’t build bone, but it prevents the falls that turn low BMD into a fracture.
An example training plan
STAGE 1 — Beginner (weeks 0 to 8)
Purpose: pattern competence and connective tissue tolerance. Bone gains here are minimal, and that’s fine. Nobody deadlifts at 85% in month one.
Lower body / hip loading
- Box squat or sit-to-stand
- Goblet squat
- Split squat (rear foot on floor)
- Romanian deadlift with stick or light kettlebell
- Hip thrust or glute bridge
- Step-ups to a low box
Upper body / spine loading
- Seated or standing overhead press with dumbbells
- Landmine press
- Bent-over row or single-arm row
- Chest press
- Lat pulldown or banded pulldown
Axial loading
- Farmer’s carry (short distance, moderate load)
- Suitcase carry
Impact
- Heel drops (rise onto toes, drop heels sharply): 10 to 20 reps
- Stomping or marching in place
- Low hops in place, both feet
Balance
- Tandem stance, single-leg stance
- Heel-to-toe walking
- Sit-to-stand without hands
Frequency: 2 to 3 sessions a week. Impact most days.
STAGE 2 — Intermediate (months 2 to 6)
Purpose: get load onto the bar and start hitting real intensity. Reps come down, weight goes up.
Lower body / hip
- Barbell back squat
- Conventional or trap bar deadlift
- Rack pull
- Bulgarian split squat, loaded
- Weighted step-ups to a higher box
- Loaded hip thrust
Upper body / spine
- Barbell overhead press, standing
- Barbell or dumbbell bent-over row
- Weighted pull-up progressions (band-assisted, negatives)
- Bench press
- Push-up variations
Axial loading
- Heavy farmer’s carries
- Overhead carry
Impact
- Two-footed jumps with soft controlled landing
- Jumping jacks
- Skipping rope
- Bounding, low box jumps (step down, don’t jump down)
- Multidirectional hops: forward, lateral, rotational
Posture / back extensor work (this is the one most people skip, and back extensor strength is independently associated with vertebral fracture risk)
- Prone back extension
- Bird dog
- Reverse fly, prone Y-T-W
- Deadbug and Pallof press for trunk control
Frequency: 2 to 3 resistance sessions, impact on most non-training days too.
STAGE 3 — Advanced (6 months onwards)
This is where the actual bone density evidence sits. The LIFTMOR trial (Watson et al., 2018) put postmenopausal women with low bone mass through 2 x 30-minute supervised sessions a week: 5 sets of 5 reps at over 80 to 85% of 1RM on deadlift, back squat and overhead press, plus jumping chin-ups with drop landings. Lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD improved. Adverse events were negligible. Supervision mattered.
Core heavy lifts (5 x 5 or 5 x 3, 80 to 90% 1RM)
- Barbell deadlift
- Barbell back squat
- Standing barbell overhead press
Supporting heavy work (depends on mobility and progress up to now)
- Front squat
- Weighted pull-up
- Weighted dip
- Heavy barbell row
- Hip thrust
High-impact
- Jumping chin-up with drop landing (the LIFTMOR protocol movement)
- Drop landings from a step
- Box jumps
- Depth jumps
- Broad jumps
- Hopping with directional change
- Sprinting or fast running intervals
Loaded carries
- Heavy trap bar or handle carries (not currently in our gym)
- Yoke walk if the equipment exists (not currently in our gym)
The blunt bits that you need to know…
- Impact dosing.
Bone cells desensitise quickly. Around 40 to 60 impacts is the point of diminishing returns in one bout, so several short bursts through the day beat one long session. The Royal Osteoporosis Society’s Strong, Steady and Straight guidance suggests around 50 moderate impacts most days for people with osteoporosis, and higher impact for those without.
- Load is non-negotiable.
Three sets of fifteen with a small dumbbell won’t change bone. If it doesn’t feel heavy, it isn’t a stimulus. This is the single most common failure point in programmes written for women in this age group.
- Progression takes years, not weeks.
BMD changes are detectable at roughly 12 months on DEXA, not 12 weeks. Manage expectations accordingly.
- Contraindications and modifications.
Clients with diagnosed osteoporosis, existing vertebral or fragility fracture, or spinal instability need medical clearance and a modified route: no high impact, no repeated loaded end-range spinal flexion or forced twisting. Controlled, moderate spinal movement is fine and the ROS has explicitly moved away from blanket “never bend” advice, but heavy loaded flexion is not.
This is a lot of information to take in, but what you need to know is that if you’re training with us at Rossell Fitness, and attending twice a week or more, you more of less have it covered with the heavy lifting side of things, and the inclusion of more specific bone density exercise which has been weaved into our training plans since 2025.
We would always recommend doing some movement of your choice outside of the gym sessions if it is possible in your routine. There are no right or wrong choices when it comes to the way that you choose to move your body, provided that you are doing it safely and it is not causing you any ongoing pain. We firmly believe that any activity can add value to your fitness and well-being, especially if it is something that you enjoy.
If you are not sure whether you are covering your bases when it comes to supporting your bone density, email nicola@rossellfitness.co.uk and we can talk through your weekly movement action plan and see if anything needs a tweak to maximise what you are trying to achieve.
Non members can book a consultation to review your lifestyle, training and weekly action plan
Stay strong
Nicola