Osteoporosis and lifting: what your diagnosis does and doesn’t mean
“You’ve got osteoporosis.” Or osteopenia, its quieter cousin. Most women hear it after a routine scan, or after a wrist fracture from a fall that shouldn’t have broken anything. Then they go home with a leaflet, a prescription and a head full of questions nobody had time to answer.
The biggest question is usually this one: am I still allowed to lift things?
I understand why it feels like the answer should be no. If your bones are more fragile, surely the sensible thing is to protect them, move carefully and put the heavy things down. It’s the most natural reaction in the world, and for most people it’s the wrong one.
What an osteoporosis diagnosis does mean
It means your bones are less dense than they should be, so a fall or a careless lift carries more risk than it used to. It’s a reason to take your bones seriously, to keep taking whatever your doctor has prescribed, and to think about how you move.
It also means your bones need something from you. Bone is living tissue. It responds to the load it’s given, and muscle pulling on bone is one of the main signals it gets. Fewer signals, and your bones keep drifting the wrong way.
What it doesn’t mean
It doesn’t mean you’re made of glass. It doesn’t mean you should stop carrying your shopping, give up the garden or let someone else lift the grandchildren. And it doesn’t mean strength training is off the table.
For most people with osteoporosis, the danger isn’t lifting. It’s falling, and stopping. Weak legs and shaky balance make falls more likely, and a body wrapped in cotton wool gets weaker every month. Strength work tackles both: stronger muscles, steadier balance, and bones that are being asked to stay strong.
Osteoporosis exercises to avoid, and what to do instead
Some movements do deserve care, mostly the ones that bend your spine forward under load or twist it quickly. Over time, that kind of pressure on the front of the spine is what you want to cut back. The usual culprits are sit-ups and crunches, touching your toes with straight legs, lifting something heavy off the floor with a rounded back, and fast, forceful twisting, like swinging a heavy bag into the car boot.
Every one of these has a safer version. We swap sit-ups for exercises that strengthen your middle while your back stays long. We learn to bend from the hips, so your legs do the lifting and your spine stays tall. We add rows and back exercises that draw your shoulders back, because the muscles along your spine are what keep you upright. And if your GP or physio is happy, we add small, controlled impacts like heel drops, because bones respond to a little jolt too.
If you’ve had a fracture in your spine, see a physiotherapist before you see me. That changes the picture, and it’s worth getting their guidance on what’s right for you first.
What training looks like in practice
At Horizon, a session with someone who has osteoporosis doesn’t look very different from anyone else’s. We squat, step up, push, pull and carry, and we work on balance every time. The difference is in the details: how we set up each lift, which ones we leave out, and how gradually we build. We start lighter than you think you need, and we only add weight when the movement looks and feels solid.
Most women are surprised by how much they can do once they know which movements to trust.
If you want to see how this fits into staying strong for the next thirty years, the Stronger for Longer page explains it.
Where to start
Here’s one you can do today. Sit near the front of a sturdy chair, feet flat and hip-width apart. Lean forward slightly from your hips, keeping your back long, and stand up without using your hands if you can. Sit back down slowly, as if the chair were further away than it is. Do five, rest, then do five more. If you need your hands on your thighs to begin with, that’s fine.
When you want someone alongside you, a free taster session is a good place to start. It’s relaxed and friendly: we talk about your diagnosis, your scans and any falls or fractures, try some movement together, and there’s no obligation either way. Sessions are one-to-one at Horizon Guildford, and you don’t need to be a member.