Weight-Bearing Exercises for Osteoporosis and Osteopenia, the LIFTMOR study
If you have osteoporosis or osteopenia, I know you have heard how important it is to do weight-bearing exercises.
But what exactly ARE these exercises?
And if you have never lifted weights before, how do you do them?
Rather than going to social media and seeing what is popular, let's go to the research.
The one comprehensive study specifically focused on figuring out what exercises are best to treat osteoporosis and osteopenia is the LIFTMOR trial, published in 2018. The authors wanted to know if high-intensity exercise would improve bone density in the spine and hip.
Before this study, many women with osteoporosis or osteopenia were advised to avoid lifting heavy weights, and many were told to stop doing exercises they had been doing for years. The general feeling was that lifting weights would cause fractures.
The LIFTMOR trial helped change the mindset of both the medical community and women with bone loss. The move away from fear, fragility, and avoidance of an active lifestyle started to shift. This study showed that women could improve their bone density scores with exercise.
It is now fairly common for women with osteoporosis and osteopenia to be encouraged to start lifting weights.
If you have never lifted a weight, looking at the exercises in the LIFTMOR trial can look pretty intimidating. Even the name: High‐intensity, progressive resistance and impact weight‐bearing training (HiRIT) sounds daunting to someone who has never lifted a weight.
What weight-bearing exercises did they do?
Many of these exercises are familiar to my Strong Women, Strong Bones membership group. I have come up with modifications and ways to work toward these exercises that make them more accessible and fun, even for those who have never lifted a weight before.
Here are four of the core exercises in the LIFTMOR trial, with my modifications and explanations:
Deadlifts - click here to see my beginner deadlift tutorial using a Swiffer
Overhead press - click here to see how I do this with dumbbells
Back squat - click here for my Goblet squat variation
Jumping chin up - click here for my heel drop, stomp, jump rope progression
The LIFTMOR trial participants did the exercises twice a week, for 30 minutes, over eight months. There was a ramp-up time as well.
What results came out of the study?
After eight months of HiRIT, positive bone density changes were recorded by DEXA scans for a majority of the exercise group. The exercise group also improved their functional performance.
HiRIT had a positive effect on both lumbar spine and femoral neck bone mineral density, femoral neck cortical thickness, the women’s overall height, and functional performance tests. The functional tests included tests for back muscle strength, leg strength, vertical jumping, sit-to-stand speed, and dynamic balance.
While all of the bone strength and muscle strength measures are impressive, one of the most promising outcomes of the study was that none of the participants had any injuries or adverse events. These higher-level exercises had a positive effect, not a negative effect, on the participants. Only one participant reported mild low back pain after a set of deadlifts at week 28 but was able to return to the study after a two-week break.
I hope you found this helpful. Learning you have osteoporosis or osteopenia sometimes feels like a prescription for a less active life. We are slowly learning more about these labels and finding that specific exercises, done properly and at regular intervals, can make huge changes in bone density over time.
Stick around for more tips as I continue to learn right along with you, in order to age strong and retire active.
I have recorded many more exercises with modifications on my YouTube channel. Head over there and see what interests you.
And when you are ready to start your regular program with me and a group of amazing Strong Women, be sure to join my Strong Women, Strong Bones Jumpstart. Get your eight months to stronger bones started with me. Subscribe to my newsletter to get the latest events, courses, and information on bone building.
Overcome the fear,
Andrea Trombley PT, DPT
REFERENCES
Kitagawa, T., Hiraya, K., Denda, T., & Yamamoto, S. (2022). A comparison of different exercise intensities for improving bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Bone reports, 17, 101631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bonr.2022.101631
Watson, S. L., Weeks, B. K., Weis, L. J., Harding, A. T., Horan, S. A., & Beck, B. R. (2019). High-intensity exercise did not cause vertebral fractures and improves thoracic kyphosis in postmenopausal women with low to very low bone mass: the LIFTMOR trial. Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA, 30(5), 957–964. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-018-04829-z
Watson, S. L., Weeks, B. K., Weis, L. J., Harding, A. T., Horan, S. A., & Beck, B. R. (2018). 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. Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 33(2), 211–220. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.3284