Strength Training and Skeletal System.

How Strength Training Benefits Our Skeletal System

Strength training is not only good for building muscles but also for strengthening bones. Our skeletal system is composed of bones, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons that support our body and enable movement. Bones are living tissues that constantly remodel themselves in response to mechanical stress. Strength training is one of the best ways to apply beneficial stress to our bones and improve their health and function. In this blog post, I will explain how strength training affects our skeletal system and what are some of the benefits of doing it regularly.

How Strength Training Affects Our Skeletal System

Strength training involves using resistance to challenge our muscles and make them work harder than usual. This resistance can come from various sources, such as free weights, weight machines, resistance bands, or our own body weight. When we perform strength training exercises, we create micro-tears in our muscle fibers, which stimulate them to grow bigger and stronger. This process is called muscle hypertrophy.

But muscles are not the only tissues that undergo hypertrophy. Bones also respond to the mechanical stress imposed by strength training. When we lift weights or do bodyweight exercises, we create tiny cracks in our bone matrix, which signal the bone cells to activate and repair the damage. This process is called bone remodeling.

Bone remodeling involves two types of cells: osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Osteoclasts are responsible for breaking down old or damaged bone tissue, while osteoblasts are responsible for building new bone tissue. The balance between these two processes determines bone density and quality. When we do strength training, we stimulate the osteoblasts more than the osteoclasts, which results in a net increase in bone mass and strength. This is especially important as we age since bone loss tends to accelerate after menopause in women and after 50 years of age in men.

What Are the Benefits of Strength Training for Our Skeletal System

Strength training has many benefits for our skeletal system, such as:

• Increasing bone density and reducing the risk of osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by low bone mass and increased fragility of bones, which makes them more prone to fractures. Osteoporosis affects about 10 million Americans, 80% of whom are women. Strength training can help prevent or slow down osteoporosis by increasing bone mineral density (BMD), which is a measure of how much calcium and other minerals are stored in the bones. Studies have shown that strength training can increase BMD by 1% to 3% per year in postmenopausal women and by 2% to 8% per year in men. Strength training can also improve bone quality by enhancing bone architecture and microstructure.
• Improving joint health and function: Joints are the connections between bones that allow movement and provide stability. Joints are surrounded by a capsule of connective tissue that contains synovial fluid, which lubricates and nourishes the joint surfaces. Joints are also supported by ligaments, which connect bones to each other, and tendons, which connect muscles to bones. Strength training can help improve joint health and function by strengthening the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that support the joints. Stronger muscles can reduce the stress on the joints and prevent injuries. Stronger ligaments and tendons can improve joint stability and range of motion. Strength training can also increase the production of synovial fluid and reduce inflammation in the joints.
• Enhancing posture and balance: Posture is the position of our body in space, while balance is the ability to maintain our posture without falling. Posture and balance depend on several factors, such as muscle strength, joint flexibility, sensory input, and coordination. Strength training can help enhance posture and balance by improving all these factors. Stronger muscles can help us maintain a proper alignment of our spine, pelvis, head, and limbs. More flexible joints can allow us to move more freely and gracefully. Better sensory input can help us detect changes in our environment and adjust accordingly. Improved coordination can help us synchronize our movements and avoid falls.

How to Do Strength Training for Our Skeletal System

To get the most benefits from strength training for our skeletal system, we should follow some general guidelines:

• Warm up before each session: Warming up prepares our body for exercise by increasing blood flow, heart rate, breathing rate, muscle temperature, and joint mobility. Warming up can also prevent injuries by reducing muscle stiffness and improving muscle elasticity. A good warm-up should last about 10 minutes and include some light cardio (such as walking or jogging) and some dynamic stretches (such as arm circles or leg swings).

• Choose exercises that target different bone sites: Different bones have different responses to mechanical stress. Some bones are more responsive than others, depending on their shape, size, and location. For example, the bones of the spine, hips, and wrists are more prone to osteoporosis and fractures than the bones of the arms and legs. Therefore, we should choose exercises that target these high-risk bone sites, as well as the other bones of our body. Some examples of exercises that target different bone sites are:

  • Spine: back extensions, deadlifts, rows, squats
  • Hips: squats, lunges, leg presses, hip abduction, and adduction
  • Wrists: wrist curls and extensions, hammer curls, push-ups
  • Arms: bicep curls, tricep extensions, shoulder press, lateral raises
  • Legs: calf raises, leg curls and extensions, step-ups

• Adjust the intensity, volume, frequency, and rest periods according to your goal and fitness level: The intensity of strength training refers to how hard you work your muscles. The volume of strength training refers to how much work you do in each session. The frequency of strength training refers to how often you do it. The rest periods of strength training refer to how long you rest between sets and exercises. These variables can affect the results of your strength training program. To increase bone density and strength, you should aim for a moderate to high intensity (about 60% to 80% of your one-repetition maximum or 1RM), a moderate to high volume (about 8 to 12 repetitions per set and 2 to 4 sets per exercise), a moderate frequency (about 2 to 3 times per week), and short rest periods (about 30 to 90 seconds between sets and exercises). To maintain bone density and strength, you can lower the intensity (about 40% to 60% of your 1RM), volume (about 6 to 10 repetitions per set and 1 to 3 sets per exercise), frequency (about once or twice per week), and increase the rest periods (about 1 to 3 minutes between sets and exercises).

• Cool down after each session: Cooling down helps our body return to its normal state after exercise by decreasing blood flow, heart rate, breathing rate, muscle temperature, and joint stiffness. Cooling down can also enhance recovery by removing waste products from the muscles and reducing muscle soreness. A good cool-down should last about 10 minutes and include some light cardio (such as walking or cycling) and some static stretches (such as toe touches or chest stretches).

Conclusion

Strength training is a beneficial activity for our skeletal system. It can increase bone density and strength, improve joint health and function, and enhance posture and balance. Strength training can also prevent or delay the onset of osteoporosis and reduce the risk of fractures. To get the most benefits from strength training for our skeletal system, we should warm up before each session, choose exercises that target different bone sites, adjust the intensity, volume, frequency, and rest periods according to our goal and fitness level, and cool down after each session. Strength training is not only good for our bones but also for our overall health and well-being.