Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Bone Health

Many people know that resistance training is very beneficial for muscles; but, did you know resistance training is also very beneficial for your bones?

Many studies have shown that weight training builds stronger bones.  In fact, bones that undergo resistance training become bigger and stronger; while bones that do NOT experience exercise become weak and brittle.

The same way your muscles adapt to the weight training stress is very similar to how your bones adapt to weight lifting.  Exercise signals your body to make changes in the bone structure.  With a proper diet of calcium and vitamin D, weight training will build bigger, stronger bones.

Stronger bones is the key to preventing osteoporosis and minimizing fractures at the more common sites like the hip, spine, and wrist.  Moreover, bone density is site specific. Which means that although runners may have strong tibias (lower leg bones), they may be weak at the hips, spine, and arms.  Therefore, everyone should participate in some type of weight bearing exercise for all the major muscle and major bones of the body.

No comments:

Post a Comment