The best exercises if you have osteoporosis

Matt Roberts
‘I would strongly stress that putting your head in the sand and avoiding exercise is not advisable’ - Andrew Crowley for The Telegraph

An osteoporosis diagnosis can be both traumatic and soul crushing. Whilst it’s not a death sentence, it is fair to say that you need a game plan in order to firstly rebuild the bone strength and, secondly, to not cause any undue damage in the process through ill-advised exercises. I would strongly stress that putting your head in the sand and avoiding exercise is not advisable – there really is plenty you can do.

How our bones age

Peak bone mass is achieved when we are as young as our early to mid-20s when our bodies reach full bone maturity, and our growth plates, the areas of cartilage at the ends of long bones in children and adolescents, solidify and stop growing. From that point onwards it is about how much we can prevent or slow the drop in bone density.

After age 50, men and women typically lose 1-3 per cent of their bone mass per year. In the UK, 21.9 per cent of women and 6.7 per cent of men aged 50 or more are estimated to have osteoporosis.

Can you improve bone density?

Although the general advice from many doctors is you’ll never be able to remineralise bones after an osteoporosis diagnosis, there is ever increasing research, such as the Liftmor study, which now says otherwise.

So for anyone reading this who has been diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis I would say two things.

One, let’s start making you stronger but, crucially, two, you need to be asking your daughters and granddaughters to be aware of this in their teens and 20s as this is when we can do the greatest amount of bone building in order to start from the highest peak point possible. As a father of a daughter this is something that I too am passionate about, as the opportunity only comes once.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation in the United States emphasises the importance of a combination of weight-bearing aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises for optimal bone health, whilst the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend weight-bearing endurance activities (three to five times a week) and resistance training (two to three times a week) for people with osteoporosis.

Why strengthening your muscles is so important

The Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) supports this by saying that everyone should do muscle-strengthening exercise if they’re able to. Recommending training a minimum of two to three days per the week, aiming for at least three sets per exercise of 8 to 12 repetitions.

So what does that look like in your routine? The weight bearing cardio exercises that are best are running and jumping based activities (jogging, tennis, etc) but as for many people this might seem beyond them, in which case it’s possible to include fast walking into the equation.

The ROS advises that moderate-impact exercise is generally safe for people with osteoporosis. They also say that if you’re already doing high-impact exercise and haven’t had any pain or fractures, it’s probably safe to continue.

However, it’s the resistance part of your training that is going to bring the greatest dividend and if walking is your cardio this is of paramount importance.

The trick is to start at a light load; perhaps just the barbell or light dumbbells, with higher reps to create some degree of effort. Over time, as you get stronger, the load can then be increased and the reps lowered.

In the broad mix of your workout programme, four great exercises you should add to stabilise bone degradation and to encourage build are:

  • 3-5 sets x 6-10 reps

If you want to learn how to pick up heavy objects safely and effectively, this movement is vital as it trains the body to hinge at the hips while bracing the core. The deadlift is a big, compound lift, also known as a hip hinge. The main muscles hit here are the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. Once you master the technique, it becomes a highly effective tool for building strength around the lower back and hips which are key areas we want to improve bone density and health.

  • 3-5 sets x 6-10 reps

This exercise primarily targets the chest, triceps and shoulders. It’s an effective movement to challenge bone and muscle strength in the upper body. Dumbbells require more stability from the shoulders and allow for an increased range of motion leading to more muscle stimulation and more tension on the bone.

  • 3-4 sets x 8-12 reps

This exercise targets all the major muscles in the lower body such as glutes, thighs and hamstrings. With the rear foot elevated, there is much more emphasis on the front leg, which challenges stability, muscular strength and therefore creates a positive bone stress. It’s a powerful strength builder for the legs, with the added benefit of developing greater balance by training each leg individually. So while it will give you greater bone health it can also help to minimise your risks of having any serious, bone breaking falls.

  • 3-4 sets x 8-12 reps

When executed well, this is a powerful exercise to build a stronger back, shoulders and arms, as well as significantly improve your posture. By training one side at a time, you can begin to correct imbalances between your left and right, ensuring you have a balanced approach to bone strengthening that doesn’t bias one side.


Matt Roberts runs a bone health clinic at Evolution, in Knightsbridge, designed to combat osteoporosis and osteopenia.

For more advice and information on osteoporosis, contact National Osteoporosis Society helpline: 0808 800 0035