Have you ever been told that certain exercises are too risky for women, especially as they age? Today, we're challenging this common misconception the idea that women should avoid things like loading their spine. Is this well-intentioned advice actually holding women back from building stronger, healthier muscle and bones? And what's the real key to maintaining bone density as we age? We're going to break down the science and bust some of those myths in today's Quick Wits. Bone density as we age. We're going to break down the science and bust some of those myths in today's Quick Wits.

Welcome to the Wits and Weights podcast. I'm your host, philip Pape, and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self-mastery by getting stronger, optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition. We'll uncover science-backed strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle and mindset, with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry, so you can look and feel your absolute best. Let's dive right in. Let's talk about a topic that is crucial for women's health, especially as you age, yet it's often misunderstood, and that is spinal loading and bone strength, because for years, women, and even today women approaching or past menopause, have been cautioned against exercises that put load on their spine. I've heard this. I'm still amazed that I hear this and the fear is that these movements might lead to fractures or accelerate bone loss. But in reality, this advice it might be well-meaning I'm not sure. It's probably more out of ignorance than anything might be doing more harm than good, because the truth is our bones need that stress, that spinal loading, to stay strong. There's actually a principle about this, called Wolff's Law, w-o-l-f-f that bone adapts to the loads placed upon it. In other words, if you don't use it, you lose it right, just like your muscle. And this is particularly crucial for women, who are at higher risk of osteoporosis as they age due to the hormonal changes. So what kind of stress are we talking about? We are talking about exercises and movements that load the spine, like squats, deadlifts, overhead presses. Anything like that is incredibly effective at stimulating bone growth and maintaining bone density, and these are compound movements that work multiple muscle groups, but they also create the kind of mechanical stress that signals to your body that it is important to build stronger bones.

Now I'm not saying just jump right into heavy barbell squats If you've never lifted before, you don't have a coach, you don't know how to do them with right, the good, with good form, you know doing things poorly, with poor form definitely is a recipe for potential injury. But, like any exercise program, any training routine, you're going to start where you're at assess what you know. You're going to figure out what you need to get there right, and that could be reaching out to a coach, could be reaching out to me. I'll help you out. I'll give you some resources, send you some free videos, right. Get you started some books that I would recommend, and then you start to progress, right?

The key is to challenge yourself and progressively increase the load over time, and the exciting part is we have studies that show that even yes, post-menopausal women can increase their bone density through resistance training. One study found that after a year of progressive resistance training, postmenopausal women increase their bone mineral density by one to 3% in their spine and hips, and that's incredible. Any increase is incredible because we're so used to talking about the decline in density over time, right? So one to 3% might not sound like much, but most women lose 1% to 2% per year after menopause, so this is a significant improvement. It's the same logic that when I talk about building muscle, how you can build new muscle at any age. And again, proper form is critical, right.

If you have concerns about your bone health, then I would. I would jump on this, but I would work with somebody who's qualified. Talk to people to make sure you're doing them correctly and safely. And the goal isn't just to prevent bone loss here. Right, it's to build stronger, more resilient bones that support the active, vibrant lifestyle that you want later into your later years. And that means you have to challenge them. You have to do weight-bearing exercises, you have to progress. So, ladies, please don't shy away from loading your spine. I want you to embrace these powerful compound movements as a vital part of your training routine, and your bones will thank you for it.

If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a follow, please share it with someone else you know who could benefit from the information and, of course, reach out to me on Instagram at Wits and Weights if you have questions about how to get started lifting weights. I will set you in the right direction, I promise you. So reach out to me at Wits and Weights. Thank you for tuning in. Go out there and lift some heavy things Again. Your skeleton will love you for it and I'll talk to you next time. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Wits and Weights. If you found value in today's episode and know someone else who's looking to level up their wits or weights, please take a moment to share this episode with them and make sure to hit the follow button in your podcast platform right now to catch the next episode. Until then, stay strong.