If you’re a man, even though you might think you don’t have to read the next three paragraphs, you really do. Osteoporosis happens when your bones get weak and brittle.
Most people think it’s a disease that only women get. Twenty percent of those suffering from osteoporosis are men. One of the best ways to stave off the disease or reduce its impact is by doing weight-bearing exercise. Walking and jogging are both great weight-bearing exercises. Your body has to support itself (bear its own weight) while you move. Strength training, though, is tops when it comes to weight bearing exercises. Numerous studies have shown that weight lifting can reverse the effects of osteoporosis by increasing bone density. The explanation for this phenomenon is that your bones are in a constant state of regeneration. As old bone cells die, new ones appear. In fact, your whole skeleton regenerates itself over a 10-year period. Bone cells, though, regenerate only at the strength they need to, in order to do what you ask of them. The less you ask them to do, the weaker they grow back. Over time, your bones get weaker and weaker. You start to walk all unched over. A slight fall, which 10 years earlier you would have easily brushed off, can shatter a leg, an arm, or a hip bone. While you recover, you’re asking even less of your bone cells so they continue to get weaker and weaker. It’s a very bad and dangerous cycle to be in. Suppose, though, you begin to lift weights. Now, all of a sudden, you’re asking a lot of your bones. You’re asking them to support not only your own weight, but the additional weight of dumbbells. When your bone cells start to regenerate, they need to be stronger, not weaker, than their predecessors. As you get stronger, thanks to your strength training, you will be lifting heavier weights and thus requiring your bone cells to grow back even stronger. This is the cycle that you want to be in. Weight training can actually help to reverse the aging process when it comes to your bones.
Most people think it’s a disease that only women get. Twenty percent of those suffering from osteoporosis are men. One of the best ways to stave off the disease or reduce its impact is by doing weight-bearing exercise. Walking and jogging are both great weight-bearing exercises. Your body has to support itself (bear its own weight) while you move. Strength training, though, is tops when it comes to weight bearing exercises. Numerous studies have shown that weight lifting can reverse the effects of osteoporosis by increasing bone density. The explanation for this phenomenon is that your bones are in a constant state of regeneration. As old bone cells die, new ones appear. In fact, your whole skeleton regenerates itself over a 10-year period. Bone cells, though, regenerate only at the strength they need to, in order to do what you ask of them. The less you ask them to do, the weaker they grow back. Over time, your bones get weaker and weaker. You start to walk all unched over. A slight fall, which 10 years earlier you would have easily brushed off, can shatter a leg, an arm, or a hip bone. While you recover, you’re asking even less of your bone cells so they continue to get weaker and weaker. It’s a very bad and dangerous cycle to be in. Suppose, though, you begin to lift weights. Now, all of a sudden, you’re asking a lot of your bones. You’re asking them to support not only your own weight, but the additional weight of dumbbells. When your bone cells start to regenerate, they need to be stronger, not weaker, than their predecessors. As you get stronger, thanks to your strength training, you will be lifting heavier weights and thus requiring your bone cells to grow back even stronger. This is the cycle that you want to be in. Weight training can actually help to reverse the aging process when it comes to your bones.
