Stronger Bones for Life: 5 Science-Backed Steps to Boost Bone Strength Through Exercise
Building strong bones is essential for overall health and mobility, especially as we age. Bone density naturally declines over time, increasing the risk of fractures, osteoporosis, and other skeletal-related disorders. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately one in two women and one in four men over the age of 50 will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. These fractures—commonly occurring in the hips, spine, and wrists—can lead to long-term disability, loss of independence, and even increased mortality risk.
Beyond osteoporosis, other age-related bone and joint conditions such as osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, and sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) further contribute to mobility limitations and chronic pain. Falls become a major concern for older adults, as low bone density combined with weakened muscles and poor balance significantly raises the risk of fractures.
However, the good news is that bone health isn’t just determined by genetics—it is highly influenced by lifestyle factors, particularly physical activity. Engaging in weight-bearing exercises, resistance training, and impact-based activities stimulates bone remodeling, helping to slow bone loss, preserve strength, and improve stability as we age. Regular movement not only fortifies bones but also supports joint integrity, enhances coordination, and reduces the likelihood of falls—all of which are crucial for maintaining an active, independent lifestyle well into later years.
In their research, Steps for Targeting Exercise Towards the Skeleton to Increase Bone Density, Warden et al. outlines five key steps to enhance bone strength through targeted exercise. By understanding and implementing these steps, individuals can take proactive measures to build and maintain strong bones at every stage of life, reducing their risk of fractures and improving their overall quality of life.
1. Begin Exercise Early in Life
Engaging in regular physical activity during childhood and adolescence is crucial, as the skeleton is most responsive to mechanical stimuli during these formative years. Peak bone mass is largely achieved by the late teenage years, making early life a critical window for developing strong, dense bones that can help prevent osteoporosis and fractures later in life.
Best Activities for Building Strong Bones in Kids
Children and adolescents should engage in a variety of high-impact, weight-bearing activities that place mechanical stress on their bones, encouraging bone remodeling and strengthening. Some of the best activities include:
Jumping and Hopping – Activities like jump rope, trampoline jumping, and hopscotch create powerful impact forces that stimulate bone growth.
Running and Sprinting – Short bursts of running or sprinting in sports like soccer, basketball, and tag help build lower body bone density.
Gymnastics and Tumbling – Movements like flipping, vaulting, and landing from heights challenge the bones, especially in the upper and lower limbs.
Climbing and Hanging – Rock climbing, monkey bars, and obstacle courses encourage upper body strength and bone development in the arms and shoulders.
Dancing and Martial Arts – Ballet, hip-hop, karate, and taekwondo involve dynamic movements and controlled impacts that stimulate skeletal growth.
Strength Training (Bodyweight and age appropriate resistance training) – Exercises such as squats, lunges, push-ups, and resistance band workouts improve bone strength when done under proper supervision.
The Role of Nutrition in Bone Development
While physical activity is essential for bone health, it must be supported by proper nutrition to maximize skeletal growth and strength. The combination of weight-bearing exercise and a nutrient-rich diet ensures that bones develop properly and remain strong throughout life.
Key Nutrients for Bone Health:
Calcium – The primary mineral in bones, calcium is crucial for bone density and strength.
Best Sources: Dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese), leafy greens (kale, spinach), almonds, and fortified plant-based milks.
Vitamin D – Essential for calcium absorption and bone mineralization.
Best Sources: Sunlight exposure, fatty fish (salmon, tuna), egg yolks, and fortified foods (milk, cereals).
Protein – Supports bone matrix formation and overall bone structure.
Best Sources: Lean meats, eggs, legumes, nuts, and dairy products.
Iron – Important for collagen synthesis, which contributes to bone flexibility and strength.
Best Sources: Red meat, beans, lentils, tofu, and dark leafy greens.
Magnesium & Phosphorus – Help in bone formation and maintenance.
Best Sources: Whole grains, nuts, seeds, and dairy products.
Vitamin K – Supports bone mineralization and helps prevent fractures.
Best Sources: Leafy greens, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
Building Healthy Habits for Life
Encouraging children to participate in a variety of physical activities and providing them with a balanced, nutrient-dense diet sets the foundation for lifelong bone health. Parents and educators should emphasize the importance of an active lifestyle and healthy eating habits early on, ensuring that kids develop strong bones that will support them well into adulthood.
By prioritizing both exercise and nutrition, children can maximize their bone growth potential, reducing their risk of osteoporosis and fractures later in life.
2. Choose Dynamic and High-Impact Exercises
Dynamic, high-impact exercises are particularly effective in stimulating bone growth. For the lower body, activities like jumping, running, and dancing apply beneficial stress to bones, promoting increased density. For the upper body, sports that involve dynamic arm movements, such as racquet sports, are advantageous. Incorporating these exercises into regular fitness routines can lead to stronger bones.
***It’s worth noting that your current level of bone density will dictate what type of exercises are best for you. If you have osteoporosis, a history of fractures, or are new to plyometrics & strength training, I recommend speaking to your healthcare provider before incorporating more advanced exercises such as plyometrics into your routine.
Plyometric Exercises to Improve Bone Density
Plyometric training is a form of high-impact exercise that enhances bone strength by subjecting the skeleton to repeated loading forces. Here are three effective plyometric exercises that can help improve bone density:
Drop to 2-Leg Stick
How to Perform:
While standing on the floor, raise your arms overhead and elevate onto your toes.
Create some momentum as you rapidly lower yourself towards the floor and into a squat position to absorb force.
Hold the landing position for 2-3 seconds to stabilize.
Why It Works:
This exercise helps improve lower-body control and strengthens bones by exposing them to rapid impact forces.
It trains muscles and joints to absorb force efficiently, reducing injury risk.
Depth Landing
How to Perform:
Stand on a higher platform (6-12 inches).
Step off the platform and land softly with both feet, keeping knees slightly bent.
Absorb the impact by bending the hips and knees while keeping the chest up.
Why It Works:
This exercise increases bone loading, helping stimulate adaptation and strengthening of the lower body bones.
It also improves shock absorption and stability, reducing the risk of falls.
Squat Jumps
How to Perform:
Start in a squat position with feet shoulder-width apart.
Explosively jump upward as high as possible.
Land softly and immediately lower back into a squat before jumping again.
Why It Works:
This exercise delivers rapid loading forces to the bones, which helps stimulate bone formation.
It enhances power, coordination, and lower-body strength, contributing to overall bone health.
By incorporating these plyometric exercises into your routine, you can help build stronger bones while improving overall athletic performance.
3. Target Specific Skeletal Regions
Bone adaptation is site-specific, meaning that only the bones subjected to increased loading will experience strengthening. This concept, known as Wolff’s Law, explains that bones remodel and adapt based on the forces placed upon them. To maximize bone density improvements, it’s essential to target key skeletal regions with exercises that create the appropriate mechanical stimulus.
Key Areas to Stimulate for Bone Growth
To build strong, resilient bones, we need to focus on the major weight-bearing areas that are most susceptible to bone loss with age or inactivity. These areas include:
Lower Body (Hips, Femur, Tibia, and Feet) – Stronger leg bones reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, particularly in the hips.
Spine (Lumbar and Thoracic Vertebrae) – A healthy spine prevents posture issues, fractures, and spinal compression with aging.
Upper Body (Humerus, Radius, Ulna, and Wrists) – Strengthening the arms and wrists is key for preventing fractures from falls.
Exercises for Each Skeletal Region
1. Lower Body – Hips, Femur, Tibia, and Feet
Best Exercises:
Jumping and Plyometrics (Drop to 2-leg stick, depth landings, and squat jumps) – These apply high-impact forces to the legs, stimulating bone remodeling.
Sprinting – Creates repetitive impact forces that benefit leg bones.
Resistance Training (Squats, lunges, deadlifts, leg press) – Provides direct mechanical stress on the hips and femur.
Jump Rope – A simple, high-intensity exercise that targets the tibia and feet while improving coordination.
2. Spine – Lumbar and Thoracic Vertebrae
Best Exercises:
Loaded Squats and Deadlifts – Place stress on the spine and encourage vertebral bone adaptation.
Overhead Presses and Pull-Ups – Load the spine while also strengthening the shoulders and arms.
Back Extensions and Planks – Strengthen the supporting muscles and encourage spinal stability.
Yoga and Pilates – Improve posture and spinal alignment while providing controlled loading.
3. Upper Body – Humerus, Radius, Ulna, and Wrists
Best Exercises:
Push-Ups and Dips – Use body weight to stimulate the arms and shoulders.
Weightlifting (Bench Press, Rows, Bicep Curls) – Strengthens bones in the arms through progressive resistance.
Rock Climbing or Hanging from Bars – Enhances grip strength and targets the forearm and wrist bones.
Tennis, Pickleball, or Racquet Sports – High-impact forces and quick arm movements help stimulate bone adaptation.
Understanding ‘Minimum Strain Density’ for Bone Adaptation
It’s not just about doing exercises—it’s about achieving the right intensity to stimulate bone growth. The term Minimum Strain Density (MSD) refers to the threshold of mechanical stress required to trigger bone remodeling. Simply put, if an exercise doesn’t generate enough impact or resistance, it won’t effectively stimulate bone adaptation.
Low-Impact Activities (Walking, Swimming, Cycling) – While beneficial for cardiovascular health, these do not provide enough force to stimulate significant bone growth.
High-Impact Activities (Jumping, Sprinting, Resistance Training) – These exceed MSD levels, promoting greater bone density gains. However, too much load can also be detrimental if your bones are unable to recover from that degree of stress.
Train with Intention
To improve bone strength, it’s essential to choose the right exercises, target key skeletal regions, and apply enough force to exceed the Minimum Strain Density threshold. A well-rounded exercise program that includes high-impact movements, resistance training, and varied loading patterns will optimize bone adaptation and ensure lifelong skeletal health.
4. Exercise Briefly but Frequently
When it comes to bone health, more is not always better—especially when considering the type, intensity, and duration of exercise. Short, frequent bouts of exercise are more effective at stimulating bone adaptation than long, continuous sessions. This is because bones become desensitized to repetitive loading over time, reducing the stimulus for growth. By structuring workouts with brief but intense exercises and incorporating rest periods, you can maximize bone-strengthening benefits.
Endurance Running vs. Strength Training for Bone Density
While both running and strength training are weight-bearing exercises, their effects on bone density differ significantly:
Long-Distance Running – Primarily improves cardiovascular fitness but provides limited bone-strengthening benefits due to its repetitive nature. Over time, excessive endurance running may even contribute to bone stress injuries if not balanced with strength training or some other type of bone-building activity.
Strength Training (Resistance & Plyometrics) – Generates higher forces and multi-directional loading, which are essential for triggering new bone formation. Resistance training applies progressive overload, ensuring continued bone adaptation over time.
Optimal Duration for Bone-Building Exercise
Research suggests that exercise needs to be high-intensity but relatively short to effectively stimulate bone growth. Sessions lasting 10-20 minutes, performed 2-3 times per day, can be more effective than a single, prolonged workout.
Why? Bones become less responsive when subjected to continuous mechanical loading without rest. Shorter, more intense sessions prevent this desensitization and allow for more frequent bone stimulation. Hence why running does not positively stimulate bone growth as effectively compared to other activities.
The Right Approach to Plyometrics: Short & Intense
Plyometric exercises, such as jumping, bounding, and depth landings, are highly effective for bone strengthening because they introduce rapid, high-impact forces that stimulate bone remodeling. However, performing too many repetitions to the point of fatigue is counterproductive.
Quality Over Quantity: Instead of doing 100 squat jumps, focus on 3-5 sets of 8-12 powerful, high-intensity jumps with proper form.
Allow for Recovery: Short bursts of explosive movements with ample rest between sets ensure the bones and muscles recover while still receiving adequate stimulation.
Variety is Key: Incorporate different jump heights, directions, and landing surfaces to create varied stress on the skeleton.
How to Structure Your Workouts
To get the most out of brief but frequent sessions, consider structuring workouts like this:
Morning: 10-15 minutes of plyometric jumps, sprinting drills, or agility exercises
Afternoon: 10-15 minutes of strength training (squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, push-ups)
Evening: 10-15 minutes of dynamic weight-bearing activities (hiking, dance, racquet sports)
Train Smart, Not Just Hard
For optimal bone health, focus on frequent, high-intensity, and multi-directional loading, rather than long, repetitive workouts. By keeping sessions short yet effective, incorporating progressive resistance training, and prioritizing explosive movements over endurance-based fatigue, you can maximize bone density gains while minimizing the risk of overuse injuries.
5. Maintain Regular Exercise Throughout Life
Building strong bones isn’t a one-time effort—it’s a lifelong commitment. While our skeletal system is most responsive to mechanical loading during childhood and adolescence, maintaining regular physical activity into adulthood and old age is crucial for preserving bone density and reducing fracture risk. However, the type and intensity of exercise should be adjusted based on age to promote bone health without increasing the risk of injury.
Bone Health Across Different Life Stages
Childhood & Adolescence: Laying the Foundation
During childhood and adolescence, bones are in their most active growth phase, with peak bone mass typically achieved by the late 20s. This is the best time to build a strong skeletal foundation.
Ideal Activities:
Jumping & Plyometrics – Running, jumping, and playing sports like basketball or gymnastics increase bone strength.
Strength Training (Bodyweight or Light Weights) – Encourages bone adaptation safely when done with proper supervision.
Multi-Directional Sports – Soccer, tennis, and martial arts help stimulate bones in different planes of motion.
Avoid: Excessive specialization in a single sport too early, which may lead to overuse injuries (e.g., stress fractures).
Adulthood: Preserving Bone Mass
Once peak bone mass is reached, the goal is maintenance—preventing gradual bone loss and keeping bones strong through consistent weight-bearing activities.
Ideal Activities:
Strength Training – Squats, deadlifts, lunges, and upper-body resistance exercises to load bones adequately.
Impact-Based Cardio – Running, hiking, or dancing to stimulate lower-body bones.
High-Intensity, Short-Duration Plyometrics – Box jumps, depth drops, and hopping exercises maintain bone density.
Avoid: Over-reliance on non-weight-bearing activities (like swimming or cycling) without supplementing with resistance or impact exercises.
Older Adulthood & Seniors: Preventing Bone Loss & Falls
Aging naturally leads to bone density decline, particularly in postmenopausal women and older adults. However, exercise can slow this process and prevent fractures. The focus should shift to fall prevention, balance, and maintaining muscle mass while still including weight-bearing exercises.
Ideal Activities:
Strength Training – Low-to-moderate resistance training (e.g., using dumbbells, resistance bands, or machines).
Weight-Bearing Cardio – Brisk walking, stair climbing, or dancing for continued bone stimulation.
Balance & Stability Work – Tai chi, yoga, or single-leg exercises to improve coordination and prevent falls.
Avoid: High-impact plyometrics (if there’s a high fall risk) and excessive endurance training without strength training support.
Why Consistency Matters
Bone is a living tissue that constantly remodels itself. Without regular mechanical loading, bones will gradually weaken, increasing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis. However, consistency does not mean doing the same workout forever—exercise should evolve based on age, goals, and physical capabilities while maintaining the fundamental principles of weight-bearing and resistance training.
Exercise for a Lifetime of Strong Bones
By following an age-appropriate and varied approach to exercise, individuals can:
Maximize bone mass in youth.
Maintain bone strength through adulthood.
Reduce the risk of fractures and falls in later years.
The key is continuity—adapting exercise to life’s changing demands while ensuring bones remain strong, resilient, and injury-free.
Building Better Bones Program
Are you looking for an exercise and cardiovascular training program that helps you build and/or maintain bone density as you age? If so, look no further than Building Better Bones. This 28-day program is 100% individualized to the needs of each participant and can be completed locally at our training facility in Portage, Michigan or virtually.
