We see this with the eccentric aspects of our training. First, think of the stronger the supporting musculature the more force absorption your body can tolerate. THE MUSCLE QUALITY – OSTEOPOROSIS CONNECTIONĪs muscle quality improves, several factors can lead to a decreased risk for fracture. Do we just accept our fate and go quietly into the night if thisis true? Of course not!!! So to combat that we must find ways to lower your risk for fracture. Furthermore, some may even argue that decreased bone mineral density is a natural part of aging that coincides with hormonal changes and it’s inevitable. Remember, osteoporosis means that the loss of bone mineral density has resulted in an increased risk of fracture. This leads right into the fact that stronger muscles result in stronger structural support for our bones. This is where our trademarked Right Intensity Training™ is the ideal. We are looking for the sweet spot of exercise intensity that forces positive adaptations while protecting the body from any potential injury. We know that as muscles become stronger and capable of generating more force the surrounding structures: tendons, ligaments, bone must also become stronger.Įxercise not only needs to induce positive adaptations but also ensure that the body is not being put at risk for injury. So what does work? Right Intensity Training™ of course!* The reason is because there is meaningful demand being put on the muscles. What’s more is that moderate intensity strength training where no meaningful demands are put on the musculature does NOT induce bone mineral density improvements either. Nelson discusses this in her book Strong Women, Strong Bones, and the research says the same thing. I feel like the bad guy here but walking and other weight bearing activity like jogging does NOT stimulate bone density improvements. We at The Exercise Coach® define a positive adaptation to include increased bone mineral density which isn’t always understood by some health care professionals and personal trainers. Exercise has to force the body to make a positive adaptation. However, it goes back to what is our definition of exercise (see our definition of exercise in this article). I think we can all agree that exercise improves bone mineral density. Many health care professionals will have you believe walking is a great way to strengthen bones however this is NOT the case. There are various schools of thought on how activity and exercise can improve bone mineral density. We are talking specifically about improving your ‘score’ or the density of the bone on a bone mineral density test. Stronger muscles yield greater structural support to the skeletal system as well as greater force absorption.įirst, we have the direct, measurable effect that strength training has in improving bone mineral density.There are two ways in which improving muscle quality directly improves the health of the skeletal system and more importantly protects us from greater risk of fractures from osteoporosis. THE MUSCLE QUALITY – BONE DENSITY CONNECTION So what are we going to do about it? Might I suggest improving your muscle quality? The lifetime risk of any osteoporotic fracture is high and lies within the range of 40-50% in women and 13-22% for men. The concern, however, is not necessarily a lower bone mineral density but the increased risk for a fracture. Furthermore, people with lower muscular strength, lean mass and sarcopenia ( age-related loss of muscle mass), are associated with and are indicators of osteoporosis. The decreased production of sex hormones, age, genetics can all be responsible for a low bone density score. Osteoporosis: less bone mass that results in an increased risk for fractureįluctuations in bone mineral density can be normal to some degree. While the previous post explored what causes diminished bone mineral density and what exactly osteoporosis is, now we want to discuss solutions and things we can do to protect ourselves from the risks of losing bone mass. This article, along with our last post, Muscle Quality and Osteoporosis, aim to explain how improving Muscle Quality through strength training can improve your bone density and decrease your risk for developing Osteoporosis. One area which is of special concern to many of us is Osteoporosis.
#Doug mcguff strength training series#
Welcome to our continuing blog series all about the impact that Muscle Quality has on many areas of your overall health.