Exercise for Women With Osteoporosis – Age is Not a Barrier

Should you modify an exercise program for a woman based on her age? As a woman gets older, should you expect her to make less progress and achieve smaller increments than a younger woman? Should a woman with osteoporosis follow an exercise program? Should she modify her program? Will she see the same exercise results and progress as a younger woman?

A new study published in this month’s Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (1) has demonstrated that healthy women who have not had prior training can exercise safely and improve their heart and muscle strength at any age.

The study was conducted “to examine the possible influences of age on exercise intensity progression in healthy women” by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo.

Exercise for Women With Osteoporosis

Quite a few of my clients are “Fifty Plus Women” who live independent, productive and active lives and want to stay that way as they move forward in life. They want to be Fit Past Fifty.

I also have young athletes (often the children of the “50 Plus Women”) who want conditioning programs. Generally, I provide exercise programs and establish fitness goals for both groups that are very similar. I have seen results similar to those determined by the authors of the research study.

Can women with osteoporosis or low bone density expect similar results? Should their exercise programs be modified to account for the fragility of their bones?

I believe that exercise is essential to someone with osteoporosis. When done properly, it improves the quality of bone – thereby strengthening the bone and making it more resistant to fracture. Further, a well designed exercise program improves balance, flexibility and body awareness – all essential to fall reduction and overall well being.

I work with many clients who have osteoporosis or low bone density and develop exercise programs that are safe for their bones and allow them to attain their fitness goals. These programs are part of the MelioGuide Exercise for Better Bones Program for clients and are all part of the Building Better Bones training program for Health care professionals.

Study Summary

Two groups of women underwent 13 weeks of exercise training. They both followed the same exercise program and results documented and recorded during the study period. The two study groups were:

1. Seventeen young women (29.1 years old, plus or minus 5.7 years)
2. Sixteen older women (64.5 years old, plus or minus 4.5 years old)

The 13 week exercise program (for both groups) consisted of :

• Stationary cycling (known as cycle ergometry)
• Whole body resistance training. Specific exercises included bench press, leg press, seated row, knee curl, shoulder press, calf raise, triceps push-down, bicep curls, and abdominal exercises.
• Stretching exercises

The exercise program for women was designed to develop aerobic capacity, muscle mass and strength, and flexibility and was performed twice a week during the 13 week study period on all participants. The exercise intensity of the aerobic and resistance training was increased whenever an individual displayed improved performance.

Results

A comparison of the progressions across all of the individual exercises between the two groups was not significantly different – meaning that the performance improvement of the older group was not that different than that of the younger group.

Conclusions

I believe that the implications of this study are very significant for women with osteoporosis. They should expect that they can make significant progress in their overall fitness, reduce their fall risk and improve their bone health – provided they follow a safe and effective exercise program for osteoporosis.

References

1. Ciolac, EG et al. (2010) Age Does Not Affect Exercise Intensity Progression Among Women. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Vol 24, Number 11: 3023-3031.

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