Strength training, aerobics, build bone strength

Liang studied women 20 to 25 years old who had mostly sedentary lifestyles. A study group that performed step aerobics three times a week for six months showed increases in bone density of up to 3.3 percent. A group that performed strength training increased bone density by up to 0.9 percent. Liang suggests that women mix high-impact exercise and strength training to build bone strength.

• Young women can boost their bone strength with just six months of exercise, even if they've been sitting on the sidelines for a while.
• The key is combining high-impact aerobics and strength training.
• In a new study, step aerobics delivered the greatest gains in leg, spine, and heel bone density, while hip bones improved more with weight training.
• In other words, do some of both types of exercise.
• While you're at it, add some weight training exercises to build bones in the upper body.
• The bone benefits add up quickly, says Michael T.C. Liang of California State Polytechnic University, in a news release.
• Exercise amounted to a bone makeover for the women in Liang's study.
• Like many Americans, they were sedentary, getting basically no exercise.
• Liang and colleagues split the women into three groups.
• One group (29 women) was assigned to do high-impact step aerobics three times a week for six months.
• A third group (20 women) was allowed to stay idle, without any required exercise.
• The exercisers got close supervision during their workouts.
• The strength-training group did better in the hip area.
• They had a gain of 0.9% in the density of the head of the hip bone, and a tiny hip density increase overall (0.1%).
• Meanwhile, their heel bone density was up 0.1%, while leg bone density dropped by 0.4%.
• Hip density dipped by 0.1% and head-of-the-hip density was down 0.7% in the aerobics group.
• What about the women with no formal exercise program?
• The bottom line: Mix high-impact exercise and strength training for best bone results, the study suggests.
• The findings were presented at Experimental Biology 2005, a science conference in San Diego.