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Our bodies demand more care and attention as we age, especially when it comes to bone health. Weight-bearing exercises are pivotal for bone strength while offering a practical approach to enhancing bone strength and overall well-being.
Whether it’s a simple walk around the neighborhood or engaging in squats and lunges at home, these exercises offer many benefits. They aid in preventing conditions like osteoporosis and contribute significantly to muscle strength, balance, and endurance.
Let’s explore how to incorporate these exercises into your daily routine to embrace a healthier, more active lifestyle and stronger bones at every age.
Weight-bearing exercise requires your bones to work against gravity or resistance with your body weight. Some examples of weight-bearing exercise include things like walking and weight lifting.1
Regular weight-bearing exercises stimulate your bones to increase density and strength. Weight-bearing exercises can also help prevent osteoporosis, a common condition in older adults that can increase the risk of bone fractures.2
In addition to improving bone health, weight-bearing exercises promote benefits for your overall health and well-being, such as improving your muscle strength, endurance, and balance. Like other forms of exercise, they can also help you burn calories, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce the risk of chronic health conditions.
There are many weight-bearing exercises that you can do at home without any special equipment. Here are some of the weight-bearing activities that I recommend most often to many of my older adult patients.
Though it may seem simple, walking is one of the most straightforward and accessible weight-bearing exercises for adults of all ages. You can do it anywhere, anytime, and at your own pace.
Regular walking can help strengthen the bones in your legs, hips, and spine while improving cardiovascular health.3
To get the best results with walking, wear supportive shoes that fit well, have good cushioning, and provide enough traction to walk safely. Choose a terrain that is smooth, flat, and free of obstacles or hazards that might cause tripping or slipping.
Regular walking is my all-time favorite exercise for overall health and wellness. Walking is the most accessible form of exercise that most older adults can do without equipment.
Before going out for a walk, you can warm up by doing gentle stretches or active movements with your back, hips, knees, and ankles. Try to maintain good posture when walking by keeping your head up, shoulders back, and core muscles gently engaged.
To make walking more enjoyable or challenging, here are a few techniques to try:
Squats and lunges are two powerful weight-bearing exercises for seniors that target the muscles and bones in your lower body. On top of increasing the bone density and strength in your thighs, hips, knees, and ankles, they can also improve your balance and joint health.
To perform squats and lunges safely, here are some essential instructions:
I often recommend squatting until your legs become tired, then taking a break. If you can perform more than 20 squats efficiently, you can add weight —or more repetitions— for more difficulty.
Here’s how to perform lunges:
Note: a chair or other stable surface provides helpful balance assistance for either of these exercises.
Like squats, lunges can be done with walking poles or a counter for support. Start with smaller motions and gradually work toward bigger ones as you feel more confident.
Having tried hundreds of different exercises with adults of all ages, squatting and lunging are two of my favorite and most effective exercises for older adults for lower body strength, balance, and joint health.
Like other tissues in your body, your bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding. However, if your bones don’t receive the stimulation to signal that they need to get stronger, the breakdown can exceed rebuilding, resulting in conditions like osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Your bones rebuild in response to impact from activities like walking, but slightly more intense impact can improve bone health. Here are some of our favorite light-impact exercises that I recommend to improve bone density.
This exercise is designed to create a safe, measured impact force through the bones of your lower body. As a result, with proper rest and nutrition, your bones will grow more robust to withstand the force of this movement and others like hopping or stepping down from a high surface.
To perform heel drops, stand with your feet hip-width, your legs and spine straight and stacked, and your hands on a chair or some other stable surface for balance. Lift your heels high, then let them drop back down.
As noted in the video, start with a lighter drop, then gradually increase in intensity as you become accustomed to the movement. Start with around five repetitions, and progressively add on as long as you can do so without pain.
Similarly to the heel drops exercise, this can be done standing with balance support as needed.
While you may have done high knee marches as a balance exercise, this focuses more on the impact of the heel when it makes contact with the ground. Although we suggest doing this exercise barefoot, imagine you are trying to knock mud off the heel of a boot as you drive your heel into the ground.
Start with about five repetitions on each foot daily. If you don’t experience pain, you can gradually build to about twenty repetitions over several weeks, adding one or two with each passing day.
If you felt comfortable with the previous exercises and are looking for a bone density exercise that also builds dexterity, try alternating box hops.
To do this exercise, use a secure exercise step or some other stable stepping surface and a wall or something else to help you maintain balance. Start with one foot on the box and alternate, switching feet.
It may be beneficial to start this exercise as a simple step up, then step down motion, alternating the foot that lands on the ground. Over time, you can gradually increase the speed until it’s more of a hop than a step. Start with three sets of ten on each foot, then gradually increase to twenty over time.
Two-foot jumps are like a slightly more intense version of the heel drops exercise above. Unlike heel drops, though, with this exercise, your entire foot will briefly leave the ground, and you will land with both knees bent.
We encourage you to continue using your balance aid as you get accustomed to jumping. Start easier with about 3-5 repetitions daily, and gradually build your number of jumps daily until you can do 15 or more with no pain and good form.
That’s right: skipping isn’t just for kids!
If you feel comfortable with the previous exercises, this exercise challenges balance, coordination, and bone strength.
To skip, first check your floor for obstacles or items you might trip over, like cords, puddles, or dog toys. Alternatively, this can be done at a counter or with a hiking pole for added stability.
Like running, propel your body forward using a light motion of your arms and upper body, lifting one knee to your chest and alternating with each repetition. Skipping can start with small motions in the upper and lower body, and you can progress to higher jumps and larger arm movements as you become comfortable.
Start with two sets of five skips with each leg. As you become accustomed, increase the number of skips and add repetitions as needed, resting between sets.
Stairs are another simple and convenient weight-bearing tool with stairs you can use at home or anywhere else. Climbing stairs can help improve the strength and endurance of the muscles in your legs and improve bone health. Of course, it can also enhance your cardiovascular fitness and burn far more calories than walking.
To climb stairs effectively, here are a few basic guidelines to follow:
In addition to climbing stairs, going down stairs can be a great way to train your lower body muscles while improving bone health. You can quickly get a full workout by consecutively walking up and down stairs. I’ve even spent full exercise sessions walking older adults through a stair-climbing routine because it’s just that important.
To make climbing stairs more dynamic as an exercise, you can try some of these ideas:
Balance training is weight-bearing exercise that can improve your stability, coordination, and posture. More importantly, balance training can help prevent falls by enhancing your ability to react to changes in your body position and environment.
Since falls are a leading cause of injury and death among older adults, improving and maintaining your balance can help you stay safe and independent in the long term.
Here are a few balance exercises that you can try at home.
Start by bending one knee so that you are standing on one leg. Remain on one foot until your leg becomes tired or you can no longer balance, then put your opposite leg back on the ground. You can make this more challenging by slowly turning your body side-to-side. Conversely, you can make it easier by holding onto a countertop or another stable surface.
Start by placing the heel of one foot in front of the toes of the other foot, as if you are walking on a tightrope. Try to walk in a straight line for 10 to 20 steps, then turn around and return to the start. You can make this more challenging by turning your head side-to-side or scaling back by only placing your foot halfway in front of the other while walking.
Start by placing a pillow or a cushion on the floor and standing on it with both feet. Try to hold your balance until your legs become tired or until you begin to lose your balance. You can make this more challenging by standing on one leg or more accessible by choosing a more stable surface.
Balance training can also be done with activities like yoga or Tai Chi. If exercise classes are your favorite way to maintain your health, they can be a great option to work on balance. You also benefit from practicing in a safe setting with others, which offers the added benefit of making new social connections. Many of my patients prefer classes for these reasons.
To train balance safely, you should follow these tips:
Lifting weights is one of the most effective weight-bearing techniques for building bone mass and preventing bone loss. It can help stimulate bone growth while increasing your muscle strength, power, and endurance, which can help you perform daily activities more efficiently and safely.4
As a physical therapist specializing in fitness and conditioning, I cannot recommend a more effective method to improve bone strength than lifting weights. This doesn’t mean other techniques like walking and balance aren’t helpful. Instead, adding weight lifting to your exercise routine can enhance your benefits.
To lift weights correctly and safely, you should follow these recommendations:
Not everyone has access to weightlifting equipment, especially those who spend most of their time at home. To lift weights without access to standard equipment, you can try some of these options:
Osteoporosis is a condition that describes loss of bone density, increasing the risk of fractures. Regular weight-bearing exercise is an effective way to improve bone density and reduce the risk of bone fracture. However, there are a few things you can do to limit risks when exercising:
Weight-bearing exercises load your bones, typically by working against gravity. These include exercises using your body weight, like squats and lunges, and aerobic activities, like walking, running, and dancing. They are crucial for seniors because they help maintain and improve bone strength, muscle strength, posture, balance, and coordination, which are particularly important to combat osteoporosis and reduce fall risk.
The impact of weight-bearing exercises stimulates bones to become stronger, which is vital for older adults at risk of osteoporosis or low bone density. Regular engagement in these exercises can help maintain bone density, slow down bone breakdown, and even prevent or delay the onset of osteopenia and osteoporosis
Practical weight-bearing exercises for seniors include walking, tai chi, yoga, golf, dancing, and hiking. These activities not only strengthen bones but also improve balance and coordination. It’s essential to incorporate various exercises to challenge the body in different ways and prevent overuse injuries.
Seniors with osteoporosis or osteopenia should consult their doctor or physical therapist before starting any exercise routine. The general guideline is to build up activity slowly and steadily, avoiding high-impact activities or those with a high risk of falling initially. Gradually working up to more challenging activities is key to strengthening bones safely.
Yes, non-weight-bearing activities like swimming, which offer cardiovascular and mood-boosting benefits, can be part of a senior’s exercise routine. However, it’s essential also to include weight-bearing exercises on alternate days, aiming for two to three times a week, to ensure comprehensive bone health benefits.
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