Our bones adapt under load.  When we strength train or jump and bound we put load on the bone and encourage healthy bone growth.

Multiple studies reflect this in young people—elementary age through college.  The evidence is pretty clear when younger people jump rope, skip, hop, and even use trampolines, they have higher bone density than their peers that don’t do those activities.

Once we get older (postmenopausal in women) the studies get murkier.  Some jump studies in older populations show no improvement in bone density, but many do.  It appears jumping improves bone density at the head of the femur (leg bone that enters your pelvis) more than it does in the spine for older adults.   Studies that don’t show jumping improving bone density do show improvement in balance and coordination which reduces fall risk and can, therefore, save our bones in other ways.

That means, it is never too late to start, but the earlier you start, the better.

Where to start?

Before jumping you always want to assess the status of your body.  Do your knees and joints feel good?  If you are going to do big jumps, can you do a quality squat with good form? If the answer is no, you aren’t ready to start jumping just yet (not to fret, you still have options).   Is your pelvic floor healthy?  If you leak a little or feel pressure at the base of your pelvis when you jump or bound, you’ll want to speak to a doctor and you’ll likely need a little pelvic floor training to support your jumps.  Have you been diagnosed with osteoporosis or ever had a break or a fracture?  If so, you’ll want to start gentler and build up.  You want to make sure the moves are safe and that you don’t risk injuring yourself.

All that being said, studies that looked at various types of jump training, even in older populations, ultimately deemed jumping safe.  Many looked at whether jumping increased bone density and also whether it was safe. They found no one got injured during the studies.  But participants were typically being watched for form and quality by a professional.

Intensity Matters

In most studies intensity matters, but that isn’t limiting. It gives you options.  If you do less intense jumps you need longer duration (more jumps).  If you did bigger jumps you needed less to see results.  So if you can do big jumps safely and your joints feel good—you may need as few as 10 jumps a day 3 times a week.

If you’re doing smaller jumps you’ll want 50 jumps per day 4 times a week, ideally spaced out throughout the day.  Consider doing 5-10 jumps trying to get 4-5 inches in the air after you use the bathroom (when your bladder is empty).  Remember if you try this and your knees, low back, or feet hurt during or after, we are going to start more basic before building to jumps.

Rebounders & Trampolines

There are a few studies that show rebounding improves bone density in children and premenopausal women. I found this surprising because I would have thought the impact was part of what was stimulating the bone and the rebounder reduces the impact.

Still, rebounding can be a really fun workout. If you are just starting with them and you don’t have great balance, make sure to use one with a handle bar.

Research definitively shows that rebounding improves lower leg strength and balance—leading to people with osteoporosis having more confidence and fewer falls.  But again, you always want to start at a level that is right for you at this moment.

Aquatic Jumping

Here’s a great place to start.  Jumping in the pool may be the ideal place to jump. It’s like the best of both worlds.  We know resistance training is good for bone health.  Here you are jumping against resistance, but the water makes the landing a bit more gentle.  It’s a great place to start.  And anecdotally when I played field hockey my freshman year of college, our coach required us to do workouts in the pool weekly. We had fewer injuries than the other fall sports teams.  Of course, there are other variables, but I always found that interesting.

Stomping

If you’re not ready to jump just yet, you can start by stomping, which is surprisingly fun and/or a great way to get a little aggression out if you’ve had a rough day.  And it doesn’t appear to take much.  Just a few stomps a day.

While there are no research studies on it, I think heel bounces are also a great place to start.  You don’t even have to go airborne in the beginning.  You can keep the balls of your feet on the ground.  Bounce your heels up and down not so hard that it hurts, but hard enough that you feel reverberation through your body.

Remember, it’s not all or nothing.  You can make progress at your own pace.  If jumping is never going to be a good fit for you, you can resistance train—that’s a GREAT way to build bones.

Click here to watch Maggie share the benefits of jumping and bounding on NBC CT Live!