Try Low-Weight Training for Stronger Bones: Study

A new study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness suggests that practicing low-weight, high-repetition exercises can increase bone mineral density by almost 8 percent in adults.This study stands out as it suggests a fairly easy alternative to flailing and ageing bones that are bound to deteriorate with time. Basically, bone density is the density of minerals like calcium and Vitamin D in your bones. In simpler words, bone density is the strength of your bones. As we age, our bones lose minerals and become weaker, more brittle. This could be the cause of osteoporosis or also lead to fractures, especially in older adults.The study titled 'Low Load, High Repetition Resistance Training Program Increases Bone Mineral Density In Untrained Adults' found that this method will prove to be most effective for older people, sedentary groups and postmenopausal women.For the study, 20 adults who completed less than 30 minutes of exercise per week for previous six months, completed a 27-week group exercise program. Participants were assigned to one of two groups that either completed full-body weight-training workouts or workouts focused on building core muscles, in addition to cardiovascular workouts. The weight-training group completed two to three classes per week, a low-weight, high-repetition resistance training program in which the participants used a bar and self-selected weights.Participants demonstrated a 7% increase in pelvis bone mineral, a 4% increase in arm bone mineral density and a 4% increase in spine bone mineral density. Postmenopausal women and osteopenic individuals experienced significant bone mineral density increases of up to 29%.