Bone-Building Program

Successful programs for building bone are relatively intense, and you perform them with little rest during the exercise session. Research proves that 3 days of high-impact cardiovascular endurance activity such as jogging, stair climbing, or aerobics done for 20 minutes, alternated with 3 days of total-body weight training, increase the bone mineral density in the hip and spine.

• Focus on the basic free-weight exercises such as squats , deadlifts , cleans , rows , presses , and curls .
• Use exercises in which you have to move your own body weight, such as crunches and push-ups .
• Choose exercises that force you to support your weight from different angles and directions-ry one-leg movements, lunging sequences to different directions, and balance-challenge exercises. You must choose exercises that have you moving upward, downward, and to the side to emphasize bone growth.
• Hike or run on inclines or uneven surfaces.
• Play sports that involve some running, cutting, and jumping like tennis, basketball, and volleyball.
• Participate in step aerobics classes, climb stadium steps, or use a step machine.

Table 7.6 provides an example of a bone-building program that incorporates the basics. Perform each exercise for 3 sets of 8 repetitions, with a 1-minute rest between sets and between exercises.