Bone health may not be something you think about every day, but it's silently working behind the scenes to keep you strong and supported from the inside out.
However, hormonal changes throughout life—from pregnancy to menopause—can quietly weaken your bones without you even realizing it. And while osteoporosis or bone density loss might not show obvious symptoms until it's too late, there’s something powerful you can do about it now: weight-bearing exercise.
Studies show that resistance exercises for bone health are essential for maintaining and improving bone density. This may include using free weights, weight machines, medicine balls, resistance bands, or walking with a weighted vest to increase the load on your bones and build strength—weight-bearing bodyweight exercises can even work!
The best exercises for bone health not only help build bone strength but also improve muscle mass, which means better support for your skeleton. This is particularly beneficial for older women and those post-menopause, as it helps counteract the bone loss that often occurs during this phase of life, according to a 2022 study in Endocrinology.
Below, experts explain why it’s important to be proactive about bone health early in life, who’s at risk of bone density issues, and how to get started with an exercise routine that supports your skeletal system.
Meet the experts: Spencer Stein, MD, is an orthopedic sports surgeon at NYU Langone, in New York City. David Abbasi, MD, is an orthopedic sports surgeon and founder of Prime Orthopedics and Regenerative Center in Delray Beach, Florida. Molly Ertel, CPT, is a lead trainer at DOGPOUND in New York City. Zay Washington, CPT, is a lead trainer at DOGPOUND in Los Angeles and New York City.
Why Bone Health Matters (Especially As You Age)
About 54 million Americans currently live with osteoporosis (advanced bone density loss) or osteopenia (moderate bone density loss), and the risk rises as we age, according to a 2021 report from the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation. During menopause, women are at particularly high risk of developing osteoporosis or osteopenia.
In fact, women lose up to 10 percent of their bone density in the first five years of menopause, putting them at risk of fragility fractures such as in the hip or wrist, says Spencer Stein, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone. “Menopause causes a drop in estrogen, which then causes drop in bone calcium,” explains Dr. David Abbasi, MD, an orthopedic sports surgeon. One in two women over age 60 will suffer from at least one fracture due to osteoporosis, according to a report from the Victoria, Australia Department of Health updated in 2024.
Pregnant women may be more susceptible to weakened bones, too. During pregnancy, the body transmits calcium to the growing fetus to bolster bone development, which can temporarily reduce the mother’s bone density, says Dr. Abbasi. And here's the kicker: breastfeeding can further deplete calcium levels. But, again, there's hope, as bone density typically recovers with time after childbirth and breastfeeding, especially with proper nutrition and care.
How To Prevent (And Counteract) Bone Density Issues
When it comes to bone density loss, preventing and intervening as early as possible is key, and resistance training is a great way to do just that. Even a few minutes of consistent movement each day can make a difference, according to Molly Ertel, CPT, a lead trainer at DOGPOUND.
"Strength training helps promote bone density by applying controlled stress to bones, which triggers the body to rebuild and strengthen them through a process called bone remodeling," she says. The level of appropriate stress varies based on fitness level, bone density status, type of exercise, and weight used, but no matter what, you can count on resistance training to always encourage bone growth. Regular weight-bearing exercise not only promotes bone growth, but it strengthens muscles too, which helps to protect your bones long-term.
Experts recommend establishing a consistent and sustainable routine that works for your schedule and the kind of workouts you enjoy most, which may require first consulting a professional (either a physical therapist or doctor) to understand the best plan of action. When you're ready to get started with your resistance training routine, you'll want to first master using your own bodyweight before progressing to heavier loads.
Once you've nailed form and feel ready to advance, you can add in weights. Progressive overload (A.K.A. gradually increasing the amount of resistance used over time) is a great approach to promote bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, says Zay Washington, CPT, a lead coach at DOGPOUND. Washington suggests increasing the weight by two to 10 percent for upper body exercises and five to 10 percent for lower body exercises approximately every four weeks.
Best Exercises For Bone Health
By starting a bone-strengthening exercise routine, you’re not just building muscle—you’re shoring up the very structure that supports your entire body. And remember: like most physical benefits of exercise, bone remodeling takes time, patience, and dedication to strength training.
Below, Washington recommended 10 exercises he finds effective for building and maintaining bone strength.
Instructions: Choose five moves from the list of exercises below. Perform each move for three sets of 12 reps seconds, resting for 30 to 90 seconds in between each set. Repeat the entire five-move circuit at least twice for a comprehensive workout. Whether you're using bodyweight only or dumbbells, choose a load that feels challenging but doable with good form for the last few reps of each set.
Time: 15 minutes | Equipment: Exercise mat, dumbbells (all optional) | Good for: Full-body
1. Squat
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart. If using dumbbells (optional): hold weights in front of chest with both hands, elbows pointing toward the floor.
- Push hips back and bend knees to lower until your thighs are near parallel to the floor (or deeper). Keep your heels planted firmly on the ground.
- Engage glutes to return to standing. That's 1 rep.
2. Seated Jack
How to:
- Sit towards the edge of the chair with your spine straight and tall, away from the back of the chair, and feet planted together, flat on the ground. Raise your arms up to make a goalpost. If using dumbbells (optional): hold a light dumbbell in each hand.
- Close your arms and bring your elbows close together (your thumbs should be right at your nose).
- Step your feet out to the sides in a jumping jack motion while opening your arms to the sides. Your arms will now be in the goalpost position.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together while also squeezing your glute muscles to return to starting position. That's 1 rep.
Pro tip: The quicker you perform this move, the more your heart rate will go up!
3. Reverse Lunge
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width, hands at sides or on your hips.
- With your right foot, step back about one and a half times your normal stride length, landing with the ball of that foot on the ground and your heel up.
- Lower the back leg straight down until it gently grazes the ground or close to, creating a 90-degree angle in the front leg.
- Push through the heel and midfoot of the front leg to return to standing, bringing your right foot back in line with your left. That’s 1 rep.
Pro tip: If balance is a challenge with this move, try doing these next to a wall for additional balance and support.
4. Deadlift
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart. Hold dumbbells out in front of you, near thighs (optional).
- Keeping back and legs straight, hinge at the hips and focus on sending your hips and butt back as you lower the barbell/dumbbells toward the ground. Make sure your weight is in your heels and inhale, McParland adds.
- Maintain that position and lower yourself as far as your flexibility allows, ideally with the weight(s) landing at least in the middle of your shins.
- Engage your glutes, contract your hips, and drive back to the starting position, locking your hips out at the top. Exhale. You should feel a squeeze in your hips and quads as you lock them out. That's 1 rep.
5. Pushup
How to:
- Bring yourself into a high plank position, with your feet to a bit wider than hip-width apart. This will give you more stability.
- Think about wrapping your shoulders back, but keeping your ribcage knit together. Everything is super engaged in your core.
- As you lower yourself down, elbows should point out at 45-degree angle. Don’t let your elbows flare out wide, but don’t keep them too narrow, either. Then push through your entire hand and straighten you arms, pressing yourself back up. That's 1 rep.
Pro tip: If you're not ready for full-out pushups, try incline pushups instead, putting your hands on a stable elevated surface like a box or bench. Elevating the hands allows this move to feel a little more accessible.
6. Woodchop
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart and toes facing forward and slightly pointed out.
- Hold a light dumbbell (Kirner suggests 2 to 5 pounds) in both hands down by your right quad/thigh.
- Exhale and twist at the waist as you lift the dumbbell diagonally and out from the opposite shoulder. (Think of this like a golf swing!)
- Bring the weight back to the right thigh with control. That’s 1 rep.
7. Glute Bridge
How to:
- Lie on back with feet flat against the floor and knees bent, arms at sides.
- Squeeze glutes and lift hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders.
- Pause at the top, then lower back down to starting position. That's 1 rep.
8. Plank
How to:
- Start on the floor on your hands and knees, placing your hands directly under your shoulders.
- Step your feet back, one at a time. (For more stability, bring your feet wider than hip-distance apart, and bring them closer for more of a challenge.)
- Maintain a straight line from the top of your head through your heels, gaze down just above your fingertips.
- Now, engage your abs, quads, glutes, and hold. Think about digging through your heels, squeezing your quads, and keeping everything nice and tight. (If you feel your body shake, that's a good sign you're creating enough tension from head to toe.) That's 1 set.
9. Isometric Squat
How to:
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands at sides.
- Push hips back and bend knees to sink hips until thighs are nearly parallel to the ground and clasp hands in front of chest.
- Pause and hold for 30 seconds—or as long as you can. That's 1 set.
Pro tip: If you want to progress this movement, you can add weight.
10. Seated Overhead Press
- In any seated position that you feel comfortable, sit with good posture (shoulders over hips, spine neutral, navel drawn in). Bring dumbbells to your shoulders with bent arms and your elbows wide to your sides but still visible in your periphery.
- Press one weight directly overhead until your arm is completely straight. Pause, then slowly lower back to the starting position. That's 1 rep.
- Repeat on the other side.
Pro tip: Try not to let your rib cage flare out or back arch as the weight goes overhead. This could mean that you're not engaging your core enough.
Exercises To Avoid
Those with osteopenia or osteoporosis must be extra cautious of the stress they’re putting on their body to avoid developing further bone weakness and prevent fractures. “High-impact activities like running or jumping can be tough on your bones, and moves that involve forward bending, like crunches or toe-touches, can put extra pressure on your spine,” says Ertel.
Twisting exercises and heavy lifting can be risky, especially when they compress the spine. Any activity with a high risk of falls are to be avoided as well, such as skiing or tennis. Instead, Ertel suggests sticking to low-impact options like walking, swimming, bodyweight moves, or using stationary equipment to keep moving in a safe and stable manner.
Additional Tips For Healthy Bone Density
To promote healthy bone density, pair resistance training with proper nutrition and supplements. Dr. Abbasi recommends taking at least 1200 mg of calcium and 1000 IU of vitamin D daily—a multivitamin alone is not enough.
Medicare generally covers a bone density scan every other year for women over 65 and men over the age of 70. However, the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation says that scans can begin even earlier, as early as age 50, for those more susceptible to fractures.
Those at high risk should get a bone density scan every two years, while those at moderate or low risk can wait every five to 15 years. The test, called a DEXA scan, X-rays the body, typically targeting the spine and hips. It is a painless procedure that involves lying on your back for 10 to 20 minutes while being scanned. Research your local radiology center or hospital to see if they offer a DEXA scan. Keep in mind: pregnant women should avoid a bone density scan (or any type of radiation) before childbirth.
