08/08/2025
I've gotten this question a few times in the past week, so I thought it might help to make a post about it. It's easy enough to see how strength training builds muscle, but how does it actually improve bone density?
Lifting heavy things is a stressor for your skeleton. Usually, we think of stress as a bad thing, but in this case, it's a controlled way to slowly increase the kind of pressure your bones can handle. When your bones are placed under strain, whether by lifting weights or breaking a bone, your body starts to create more cells called osteoblasts to help the bone heal and handle the stressor better in the future. You literally grow new bone cells when your lift weights. How cool is that!?
I dont know about you, but I'd much rather my bones be growing new cells due to a workout than a break or fracture. And remember, heavy is relative, so if you aren't lifting anything right now, your version of heavy will be different from somebody who has been lifting for a long time. You don't need to jump in with some crazy heavy dumbbell for results, you just need to do something that feels hard for you.
Do you need help with creating a strength program that's right for you? Send me a DM or book a session in the DL App - your bones will thank you!
