Thin bones are common, and they often respond to the right kind of exercise. One well-known trial found that heavy, supervised lifting improved bone density in older women with low bone mass. It is not something to try on your own, but it is good to know what the research shows.
Reviewed by Dr. Kshitij Chaudhary, Last reviewed November 2026
I am a spine surgeon at P.D. Hinduja Hospital, Mahim, Mumbai, and I see the fractures that thin bones can cause. Many people ask whether exercise helps or whether it is risky. This post looks at one important trial and what it could mean for you in India.
Image to add: An older Indian woman training with a physiotherapist, who stands beside her. A barbell is lightly loaded and the setting is a hospital physiotherapy room. Suggested alt text: Physiotherapist supervising an older woman doing strength training for bone health. Type: photo.
🦴 Is it safe to exercise hard with thin bones?
Many people with thin bones are told to take it easy. They avoid anything heavy, which is an understandable instinct. But bone responds to load. When it is rarely challenged, it can keep weakening. Gentle exercise helps balance and fitness. Building bone needs a stronger signal [1].
The safe route is guided, gradual loading. It is not avoidance, and it is not heroics.
🔬 What did the LIFTMOR trial find?
Researchers in Australia studied 101 postmenopausal women with low bone mass, with an average age of 65. Half did heavy, supervised lifting twice a week for 30 minutes, for 8 months. The others followed a gentle home exercise program [1].
- Lumbar spine bone density: up about 2.9% in the lifting group, and down about 1.2% in the home group.
- Hip (femoral neck) bone density: up 0.3% in the lifting group, and down 1.9% in the home group.
- Strength and balance tests: better in the lifting group.
- Side effects: one minor event, a mild lower back spasm.
Chart ready: liftmor-bone-density-change.png Suggested alt text: Bar chart showing lumbar spine and hip bone density rising with supervised heavy lifting and falling with gentle home exercise over eight months.
🏋️ What did the training involve?
Each session lasted 30 minutes. The lifts were heavy: 5 sets of 5 repetitions at more than 85% of the most a woman could lift once, combined with impact work. Trained staff supervised every session, and the women were screened first [1].
This is not a program to copy from a video. The heavy loading is what builds bone, and it is also where the risk lies. Technique and progression need someone trained to guide them.
📋 Which exercises were in the program?
The same research team describes four movements, all done under supervision [5]:
- Deadlift: lifting a loaded bar from the floor to standing.
- Squat: bending the knees and hips with a bar across the upper back, then standing.
- Overhead press: pressing a weight from the shoulders to above the head.
- Jumping chin-ups with a landing: the impact exercise. The landing starts firm and flat-footed and gradually becomes stiffer as the person tolerates it.
The first two weeks used light loads to learn technique. The weights were then raised step by step [5]. All four need hands-on teaching. Please do not try them at home.
🚶 Why is walking not enough?
Bone responds to how hard the ground and your muscles push on it. As a rough guide, walking produces about 1.2 times your body weight, and jogging about 2 to 2.5 times. Jumping produces 4 to 6 times. Bone is thought to need roughly 3 to 4 times body weight to build new tissue [2].
Walking is still worth doing for health, balance and keeping the bone you have. But it is gentle when the goal is to build bone.
🇮🇳 Why does this matter in India?
Osteoporotic fractures in India are reported to come 10 to 20 years earlier than in Western countries, and men are affected too [3]. Indian reference values for bone density now exist, so ask your doctor to read your scan against them [4].
Two things support bone alongside exercise. One is vitamin D, covered in this post on vitamin D deficiency. The other is calcium, covered in this post on getting calcium from your plate. Muscle also needs protein, so include dal, milk, curd, paneer and sprouts, and eggs if you eat them.
Image to add: A simple vegetarian plate with dal, curd, paneer, sprouts and roti, shot without any visible brand packaging. Suggested alt text: Indian vegetarian plate rich in protein for bone and muscle health. Type: photo.
✅ How can you start safely?
- See your doctor first. Ask whether a DEXA bone scan is right for you.
- Find supervised training. A physiotherapist or strength trainer who understands osteoporosis can set the load and progress it. Many hospital physiotherapy departments can do this.
- Do gentle exercise at home meanwhile. The Exercise Program for Osteoporosis and Exercises to prevent falls in osteoporosis are good starting points.
- Do not start heavy lifting or jumping on your own.
Check with your doctor before any heavy training if you have had a fracture, a spinal compression fracture, very low bone density, heart or blood pressure problems, balance problems or falls. Read more about osteoporosis and fall prevention.
📚 References
- Watson SL, Weeks BK, Weis LJ, Harding AT, Horan SA, Beck BR. High-intensity resistance and impact training improves bone mineral density and physical function in postmenopausal women with osteopenia and osteoporosis: the LIFTMOR randomized controlled trial. J Bone Miner Res. 2018;33(2):211-220. doi:10.1002/jbmr.3284
- Luks H. 6 Exercises That Build Bone Density: Saturday Action Plan. Built to Move, Born to Heal (Substack). 22 Aug 2026.
- Makker A, Mishra G, Singh BP, Tripathi A, Singh MM. Normative bone mineral density data at multiple skeletal sites in Indian subjects. Arch Osteoporos. 2008;3:25-37. doi:10.1007/s11657-008-0019-z
- Indian Council of Medical Research. Bone mineral density reference standards for Indian males and females. Technical report. 2010.
- Harding AT, Weeks BK, Watson SL, Beck BR. The LIFTMOR-M (Lifting Intervention For Training Muscle and Osteoporosis Rehabilitation for Men) trial: protocol for a semirandomised controlled trial of supervised targeted exercise to reduce risk of osteoporotic fracture in older men with low bone mass. BMJ Open. 2017;7(6):e014951.
This page is for general information and does not replace a medical consultation. Please see a doctor for advice about your own symptoms.