Osteogenic Loading?
*Courtesy of American Bone Health
Weight bearing activity is critical for bone health.
The stress on the bones that results from weight bearing activities like running, jumping, and weight lifting, stimulates bone building.
Weight slightly compresses the bone matrix and triggers the cells to assimilate more calcium and other minerals, and ultimately to increase bone density.
The amount of weight bearing that causes this response from the bone is called “osteogenic loading” because it takes a certain “load” to stimulate the bone building cells.
In contrast, “unloading” the bones from prolonged bed rest or space travel can result in loss of bone density.
While normal daily
activities are sufficient to prevent the harmful effects of unloading,
significant “loading” appears to be required to actually increase bone mineral density.
Until recently, the exact amount of weight bearing “load” required for an “osteogenic” response had not been established.
With every blog post, we like to equip you with a POWERFUL free resource that goes with the episode, providing you with additional education and empowering you to take action on what you’ve just learned.
Since in this episode we're talking about a little known bone fact, we want to give you additional information on the 6 Surprising Misconceptions About Bone Health (and why it matters).
After going through
these Misconceptions, you’ll be empowered to make informed decisions about your
lifestyle to live the life you deserve & love!
What Do We Know?
We measure activity by how many multiples of body weight is loaded on the skeleton. Scientists in the United Kingdom, using accelerometers, did a cross sectional study in teens and determined that the amount of loading required to stimulate the bone building process equals 4.2 times body weight!
As with all exercise studies, it is difficult to
control for all of the variables associated with the participants, so we must
be careful in generalizing the results to other populations.
Using the concept of osteogenic loading, if you weigh 130 pounds, you need to load your bones with 546 pounds to build bone.
When we stand, gravity applies a load to our bones equals our body weight. Walking briskly increases load, running or jogging adds even more load.
But it is higher impact activities like jumping or strength
training that is needed to meet 4+ times body weight.
Bicycling and
swimming are good cardiovascular activities, but they partially “unload” the
bones, so competitive swimmers and cyclists should consider adding weight
lifting or osteogenic loading to their routine.
What Can You Do?
Always begin loading activities at a level that is right for you.
If you are walking, work to increase your
stride. If you are running, consider adding higher impact activities. Weight or
resistance training is beneficial to muscle, so that you can have the strength
to jump and land, or engage in higher impact activity safely.
If you have low bone density or osteoporosis,
work with a professional on any activity that will add load to your bones. You
want to use proper form and body mechanics to protect your spine.
Osteogenic loading at OsteoStrong is a safe option and particularly helpful at building stronger, healthier new bone. To learn more, check out the Additional Resources section below! 👇👇👇
In Closing...
Hopefully, this training on bone building, osteogenic loading, and multiples of body weight was valuable and you learned something new!
Always remember how important it is to make bone health a priority at all ages to prevent conditions such as osteoporosis and physical challenges related to aging.
On that note, don't forget to grab the 6 Surprising Misconceptions of Bone Health (and Why It Matters).
After going through these Misconceptions, you'll be empowered to make informed decisions about your lifestyle to live the life you deserve & love!
You can download this FREE resource by clicking the yellow button below 
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