The Benefits of Weight Lifting on Bone Health

Medically reviewed by: Dr. Ronald Mochizuki, MD

When we think about staying fit, much of the conversation revolves around cardio, flexibility, or muscle strength. However, one essential factor that is often overlooked is bone health. 

Strong bones are vital for maintaining quality of life, especially as we age and face increased risks of bone loss and osteoporosis. 

Surprisingly, one of the most effective tools for improving bone health can be found in any gym: weights. Incorporating weightlifting and other weight-bearing exercises into your routine could boost your bone density and reduce the risk of fracture later in life. 

Understanding Bone Health and Its Importance

Your bones are living tissues that are constantly rebuilding themselves. They provide the framework that supports your every move, shields your vital organs, and even acts as storage for essential minerals. They are a massive part of what keeps you mobile throughout life.

From the time you are born, your bone cells continue to replace themselves, reabsorbing old bone mass and growing new mass in a cycle. As you grow older, this regeneration process slows down; when you start to absorb more bone than you put out, you lose bone density.

Even though this is a natural process, for some people, it leads to a silent but significant problem: osteoporosis, a condition where bones grow weak and become more prone to fractures.

The good news is that exercise, including weight lifting, can promote bone health at all ages. 

The Role of Weight-Bearing Exercise

Weight-bearing exercises involve being on your feet and bearing the brunt of the weight of a given activity. Weight-bearing exercises are essential in maintaining overall health and can involve various levels of impact. 

Some examples of weight-bearing exercises are:

• Walking 
• Running or jogging
• Hiking
• Dancing
• Racquet sports
• Basketball
• Weight lifting or resistance training

Adding weight-bearing exercise to your routine equates to better physical health, greater independence, and a more active lifestyle well into your later years. 

For example, research shows that resistance training, like lifting weights, effectively preserves bone mass. It also improves muscle strength, which offers further protection by stabilizing joints and enhancing balance, reducing the likelihood of falls.

Just remember, if you have concerns about your bone health, consult your doctor before taking on new activity.  

How Weight Lifting Supports Bone Health

Osteoporosis and weight lifting are not words you might usually put together in a sentence, but this exercise isn’t just for bodybuilders. It’s a powerful tool for anyone who hopes to improve their bone health and prevent age-related bone loss. There are various ways in which lifting weights contributes to stronger, healthier bones. 

Stimulating Bone Growth

Weight-bearing exercises, especially weight lifting, involve working against gravity. When your bones sense the increased pressure and strain, they respond by triggering the production of new bone tissue.

The caveat is that, to activate this effect, you must take on more weight than you would in your daily life. This is why weight lifting (and vibration plate exercises) might be more ideal in this scenario than weight-bearing exercises like walking or running.

Preventing Bone Loss

Without regular activity, the body begins to reabsorb bone tissue faster than it can replace it. This condition is known as osteopenia—the precursor to osteoporosis. When you lift weights, you are working to halt or slow this decline and preserve your bone mass. 

It’s not only preventative; for individuals already diagnosed with osteoporosis, targeted weight training can slow progression and support safer, healthier movement.

Hormonal Benefits

Weight lifting doesn’t just influence your bones directly. It can also affect your body’s hormonal environment in ways that support bone health. Here are a few of the internal benefits you might get from strength training:

• Weight lifting stimulates the release of human growth hormone, which helps build muscle and can positively influence bone growth.
• It increases insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammation, which helps prevent type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions.
• Weight training can help regulate the production of testosterone and estrogen, which are produced in lower quantities in men and women, respectively, as they age.

The effects of weight lifting on hormones create an ideal biochemical climate for you to live your healthiest life and for your bones to thrive. 

Enhanced Muscle Strength and Balance

Stronger muscles also play a vital role in bone protection. By building muscle strength, weight lifting can help:

• Stabilize joints
• Improve posture
• Enhance balance 

Your muscles are like a safety net for your skeletal system. So, building muscle is especially important for older adults—a simple misstep can lead to injuries if your bones are weak. Strong muscles can act as a buffer, absorbing some of the impact and keeping bones safer. Improving balance through weight training can also reduce your likelihood of falls to begin with. 

The Science Behind Weight Lifting and Bone Density

Weight lifting stimulates bone growth through a process called mechanical loading. When you lift weights, the force exerted on your bones causes tiny micro-fractures; in response, your body rushes to repair them. 

When your body repairs these micro-fractures, extra bone tissue is added, increasing bone density. If you are consistent with your weight lifting routine, you will eventually have stronger, denser bones that are more resistant to fractures. 

But how do we know all this? Let’s examine some studies. 

Studies Supporting Weight Lifting for Bone Health

Research highlights weight lifting as an effective strategy for improving bone density and preventing osteoporosis. There are two examples of notable studies conducted on weight lifting and bone density:

• LIFTMOR Trials – A set of studies published in The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research concluded that high-intensity resistance and impact training improved bone mineral density among both postmenopausal women and middle-aged and older men. 
• Strength Training Protocol Study – Another study—this one conducted in Romania—found that a specific strength training protocol designed for postmenopausal women with osteopenia or osteoporosis was effective in increasing bone mineral density and could work to prevent future bone loss.

These studies show that regular strength training effectively slows the natural decline in bone health as you age and improves bone density. Plus, these are just two examples of scientific evidence pointing to the benefits of weight training on bone health. For more, check out our repository of studies. 

Combining with Whole Body Vibration

While weight lifting alone offers significant benefits for supporting bone health, combining it with whole-body vibration (WBV) can potentially maximize these effects. Whole-body vibration technology, like Power Plate, introduces an additional dimension to your workout. 

According to a study titled “Building Bone and Whole Body Vibration Training,” you can expect to reap many benefits for your musculoskeletal system when training with a vibration plate:

• Increased bone mineral density
• Increased strength
• Improved balance and equilibrium
• Improved posture

Power Plate’s technology provides a safe and effective solution for anyone looking to enhance their weight lifting routine. It’s especially beneficial for individuals looking to recover from joint issues or who are new to strength training.

Why Power Plate Is a Great Tool for Bone Health

Power Plate could become the cornerstone of your bone health management strategy.

Here’s how it works:

• The vibrating platform creates rapid movements that cause muscles to contract and relax dozens of times per second.
• This stimulation also applies soft, repetitive loading to the bones.
• This stimulates bone cells to regenerate, promoting increased bone density over time. 

If you’re repairing lost bone density or looking to build stronger bones for the future, whole-body vibration is an effective tool that can enhance the bone-strengthening benefits of your workout routine. 

Power Plate and Bone Health

Whole-body vibration technology is still a relatively new way to train, but countless studies have been conducted on its ability to improve bone health. 

A meta-analysis of nine studies, including 527 postmenopausal women, concluded that WBV produced a significant improvement in bone density at the hip and spine compared to placebo groups.

Low-impact, High Reward Exercise

Traditional weight lifting can feel intimidating or physically taxing for many individuals, especially older adults or those with joint issues. One of the key advantages of using Power Plate for bone health? It’s low-impact—just like yoga, tai chi, and walking.

This makes Power Plate an excellent choice for those recovering from injuries, managing chronic conditions, or generally seeking a more accessible way to maintain bone health.  

Weight Lifting and Beyond

Weight lifting is a powerful way to maintain and improve bone health, stimulate bone growth, slow bone loss, and enhance muscle strength. These benefits are essential for reducing the risk of osteoporosis and ensuring long-term mobility and independence as you age. Strong bones, stabilized by equally strong muscles create a solid foundation that keeps you active, balanced, and injury-free.

If you’re looking to take your bone density training to the next level, combining weightlifting with whole body vibration offers comprehensive support. Tools like Power Plate offer a gentle addition to your routine that can enhance the effects of weight-bearing exercise, activate muscles, promote bone remodeling, and improve overall balance.

Explore Power Plate’s Whole Body Vibration Collection

Stronger bones lead to a stronger life, and if you want to include cutting-edge technology in your bone-building strategy, a vibration plate might be just what you’re looking for.  

At Power Plate, we thrive on helping people unlock their potential. That’s why we developed an innovative line of vibration plates to help you move better, feel better, and live better. 

Learn why hundreds of thousands of users across the world chose Power Plate for their WBV training. Explore the Power Plate collection today.

Sources: 

Medline Plus. What causes bone loss? https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000506.htm 

Korean Endocrinology Society. Effects of Resistance Exercise on Bone Health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6279907/ 

Sports Medicine. Exercise and Bone Mass in Adults. https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200939060-00002  

Biomed Research International. The Effectiveness of Physical Exercise on Bone Density in Osteoporotic Patients. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/2018/4840531

PubMed Central. The Influence of Growth Hormone Deficiency on Bone Health and Metabolisms. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10515129/#:~:text=Growth%20hormone%20exerts%20pleiotropic%20effects,%2C%20lipid%2C%20and%20carbohydrate%20metabolism

Experience Life. How Strength Training Balances Your Hormones. https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/how-strength-training-balances-your-hormones/

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women with Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jbmr.3284

Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. A Comparison of Bone-Targeted Exercise Strategies to Reduce Fracture Risk in Middle-Aged and Older Men with Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: LIFTMOR-M Semi-Randomized Controlled Trial. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jbmr.4008

Computer Aided Diagnosis Seniors. Effect of Strength Training Protocol on Bone Mineral Density for Postmenopausal Women with Osteopenia/Osteoporosis Assessed by Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/5/1904

PubMed Central. Whole Body Vibration Treatments in Postmenopausal Women Can Improve Bone Mineral Density: Results of a Stimulus Focussed Meta-Analysis. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5132247/#:~:text=In%20this%20study%2C%20WBV%20stimulation,due%20to%20osteopenia%20or%20osteoporosis

Power Plate. Building Bone and Whole Body Vibration Training. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0362/1139/2645/files/whole-body-vibration-training-builds-bone.pdf?v=1586158434