- bodymindstudionz
- Apr 29
- 2 min read
Most people over 40 lose around 0.5 to 1% of bone density a year.
After menopause, women can lose up to 2% a year for the first decade.
Men lose more slowly but start later, and when they fracture a hip the mortality rate is actually higher than it is for women.
The fix isn't calcium tablets, it’s not walking, and it’s not yoga. (walking & yoga are FABULOUS for balance, coordination, mobility, and maintenance of bone health, but not at building new bone mass).
You need to lift heavy things - aka strength training
It seems like I live in the studio sometimes, but here's the thing - you don't need to live in the gym!
It takes just 2 x 30-45 min strength sessions a week to get bone health benefits.
The current evidence supports this minimum effective dose -
2 sessions per week.
30 to 45 minutes per session.
4 to 6 compound (moves that use lots of muscles) lifts that load the spine and hip. Squat or lunge, deadlift or hip hinge, overhead press, row, loaded Farmer's carry.
Effort taken close to failure - those last 2 reps are challenging.
Progressive overload. The weight/effort has to keep going up over time or the signal stops.
That’s 60 to 90 minutes a week. Less time than most of us spend scrolling on our phones on a Sunday.
Stop training and you lose the gains. One study found bone mineral density benefits begin to reverse within 6 months of stopping.
Bone is a use-it-or-lose-it tissue.
Without your strength training, all the other things you do for your bones are only working at half their capacity.
Think of strength training as you 'ON' switch - everything else is the raw material.
Get your 2 strength sessions a week sorted
- then aim for at least 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg of body weight in protein per day
- get your vitamin D (sunshine or supplement) and calcium (preferably from food) adequate (when muscles pull on bones during resistance exercises, they create stress that signals the body to deposit calcium into the targeted bone - and Vit D is needed by the body to absorb the calcium from food)
You cannot supplement your way out of fragility - but you can lift your way out of it.
Where to start this week
If you’re new to lifting, or have been struggling along on your own - I recommend you do this:
Book a session with myself - let's get you set up wth a programme that works for you
Learn the squat, hinge, press, and row at body weight or with a kettlebell. Movement quality first.
Add intensity (more reps, sets, tempo, weight) every week. Just small gains. Keep moving up
If you've been training but going a little light - pick one move, and try to lift heavier. Push yourself - challenge your body - and watch what happens.
If you remember one thing from this email, make it this:
Two sessions a week, at an effort close to fatigue, progressing all the time.
Below that, you’re maintaining. Above it, you’re building.
