What Builds Strong Bones?

There’s a really simple answer, that isn’t very profitable or marketable.

 

Gravity.    Plainly and simply, gravity. Specifically, the way the body interacts with it. Heavy loads via strength training will make for denser bones. Impact related sports like gymnastics or martial arts will make them the strongest. Supplements alone do almost nothing.

 

Let’s break that down; that’s a bold statement and it goes against common belief. Having the best and highest quality calcium or glucosamine is like buying the finest flour and the highest grade chocolate. You throw the ingredients into an oven and hope a cake pops out a half an hour later. It just wont happen, you have to put in the work, measure the ingredients, mix the batter and turn the oven on.

 

Your body is the same. When you feel the weight of something heavy or a sudden impact like jumping down off of a plyo box, your body recognizes that. It prepares you just in case it might happen again. This is your genes expressing; your DNA “turning on”. The more you do it, the more your body will recognize it and prepare for more of it by making your bones stronger. Now it will start to use the “ingredients” you’ve ingested. This is the same reason that astronauts get very weak bones when in outer space. They have little to no gravity.

 

Sending jugs of milk to space wont make astronauts have stronger bones. It also wont build a stronger skeleton for you. You have to turn the oven on. Skip the low impact, isolation exercises – they won’t work. Get active, lift heavy things, jump around and have fun.

“Dave Johnston

Weightlifting and CrossFit Coach