Increasing Bone Mass

[IsO Tonic]

Hi everyone. I've read that bone mass can be maintained with sensible weight training. My goal is to strengthen my bones now rather than later.

I usually do press ups, sit ups, shadow boxing, cycling, running walking, squats and other exercises which do not use free weights. These are done twice a week to allow time for healing of the body.

Do you know of any other body weight exercises that promote bone growth? I read that bone renewal slows down and bone loss increases with age.

[Fudomyo]

Deadlifts and squats are going to build the most bone mass. I'd imagine that really heavy shrugs will help too.

They recently did a bone scan on a guy who does 1000 pound squats. He had about the most solid spine ever measured.

Go figure.

[Cougar]

Heavy and hard. Bone grows in response to direct stress, just like muscle. It also grows in response to increased muscle size, in order to give you bigger sites for attachment. Do as many compound joint exercises as you can- the ones Fudo mentioned are ace for building mass of all kinds, bone and muscle- and snork down the milk like there's no tomorrow.

In short, unless there's another reason you're avoiding free weights, they are THE best thing for provoking your skeleton to grow.

[Steve]

Originally posted by Cougar
[- and snork down the milk like there's no tomorrow.

[/b]

yeah, do it while you're young - later in life it gets harder to absorb all the calcium. Also green leafy veggies has a lot of calcium.

Steve

[mustang GT]

I was wondering does anybody know any supplements or foods that can help bone growth? Calcium helps right? Can certain types of protein help bone growth? Anything else? Thanks

[IsO Tonic]

Some amino acids promote growth hormone release such as l-carnitine and l-ornithine. But I'm sure natural products are better.

The reason why I'm not touching weights is that I don't want to stunt my growth. Is this just a myth used just to scare us?


Breakfast - creamed rice (very good calcium source, and tastey )

Lunch - milk (1 pint) and fruits

Dinner - whatever mom cooks

Plenty of water and fruit juice throughout day.


Having read through this post I think I may be killing myself by not eating enough. This may not be good for a 5'10" frame. Should I add more meals? I don't feel hungry often after drinking all that water.

[Fudomyo]

There is pretty much 0 chance of weight lifting stunting your growth. It's more likely to help. Wieght lifting makes lots of growth hormone, which strangely enough....makes you grow.

I'm twice your age, and would pass out if I ate as much as you do. I probably ate 4 times what you do at your age. I did gain some fat, but that was around 10 years later.

Fudo

[IsO Tonic]

Thanks for the advise it is very comforting hearing it come from experienced guys .

I'll join a gym rather than buy free weights because a supervisor is better than just using a mirror. I guess my nutrition is ok for someone just starting out.

Will I have to do heavier stretches after a workout to prevent to muscle from contracting too much?

[Steve]

Nice to see you're gonna join a gym. You should eat more, too.
Stretching is good before and after lifting.

1. warm up - light aerobic exercise
2. stretch
3. work out
4. light aerobic, 5-10 min
5. stretch again

That's what I do anyway. Others may differ.

Steve