Strength Training for Bone Health: A Beginner's Guide

Yes, strength training is good for your bones: as your muscles work against resistance they pull on your bones, and that load can help maintain or improve bone strength. Pair it with some weight-bearing or impact exercise, like brisk walking, jogging or small jumps, and you are doing the two things UK guidance points to most often for healthy bones.

That applies at any age, since the NHS describes losing bone as a normal part of ageing. This guide covers what the NHS and the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) recommend, a simple two-day plan, and how to start safely with low bone density.

World Osteoporosis Day, led by the International Osteoporosis Foundation, falls on Tuesday 20 October 2026. Edge is not affiliated with World Osteoporosis Day, the International Osteoporosis Foundation or the Royal Osteoporosis Society.

What do bones actually respond to?

Bones are living tissue, and they adapt to the work you ask of them. Two kinds of load seem to matter most:

• Muscle pull. When a muscle works against resistance, its tendons tug on the bone it is attached to. The NHS explains that this pulling action helps boost bone strength.
• Impact. Each time your feet hit the ground, a little extra force travels up through your skeleton. The ROS says this force can help maintain or improve bone strength.

The ROS also notes that bones lose strength if you are not active, and that even a small amount of exercise can help. Regular load that slowly increases matters more than heroic sessions.

What exercise do the NHS and the Royal Osteoporosis Society recommend?

The NHS says weight-bearing and resistance exercise are particularly important for bone density, and the ROS says the best way to help your bone strength is to do both impact and strength exercise. The NHS also recommends that adults aged 19 to 64 do muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week, working the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, arms and shoulders, alongside at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity.

The ROS also highlights balance work, which helps keep you steady and makes a fall less likely. If you feel unsteady or have not exercised in a while, it suggests improving your balance before building up impact.

How much strength training do you need for your bones?

The ROS suggests strength exercise on 2 to 3 days a week, leaving at least a day's rest in between, for around 20 to 30 minutes, working your legs, arms, back and stomach muscles. Within each session:

• Aim for 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise. That is one set.
• Build up to 3 sets of each exercise over time.
• Work hard enough to need a short rest before the next set. Cannot manage 8 good reps? Go lighter. Could easily keep going past 12? Go a little heavier.

The ROS groups bone-friendly strength exercises into four main movement patterns: hinge, push, pull and squat. It suggests one exercise from each pattern every time you train, plus three supporting patterns (brace, lunge and step) once or twice a week. The plan below uses exactly that template. If you are brand new to the gym, our guide on how to start strength training walks through equipment, technique and your first few weeks.

What does a simple 2-day-a-week plan look like?

Two sessions a week, for example Monday and Thursday, each taking around 25 to 35 minutes. Start with your body weight or a resistance band, then add dumbbells (or filled water bottles at home) once each movement feels solid.

Start with one set of each and add a set every week or two. On other days, a brisk walk, a gentle jog or our beginner skipping workout keeps the impact side ticking over, if your joints are happy with it.

How do you add impact exercise safely?

Impact work starts very small. The ROS describes a gradual build-up:

• Low impact: heel drops, marching and stair climbing, where one foot always stays on the ground.
• Moderate impact: small jumps, jogging on the spot, skipping and dancing, where you push off and land.
• More active moderate impact: hops, skater steps and stride jumps, once the earlier steps feel easy.

You can spread your impacts across the day, so a set of heel drops while the kettle boils counts. One jump is one impact. For people without spinal fractures, the ROS suggests building up to 50 moderate impacts on most days of the week.

You do not need to go further. The ROS does not specifically recommend high-impact exercise, such as star jumps, for bone strength, as there is not enough evidence it adds more than moderate impact. If it is already part of your routine and feels comfortable, it is usually fine to continue, though anyone with osteoporosis should check with their doctor or a physiotherapist first.

Impact may not suit everyone, for example if you have painful arthritis in your knees. If so, focus on strength work and ask your GP or a physiotherapist what is right for you.

How do you progress without overdoing it?

• Technique first. The ROS puts it neatly: it is “how you lift rather than how much you lift that matters”. There is no single weight that is safe or unsafe for everyone.
• Add load slowly. Once 12 good reps feel easy, add a little weight, a stronger band or an extra set. Change one thing at a time.
• Rest between strength days. Feeling stiff or sore for a few days after a new exercise is normal and usually eases with time.
• Listen to your back. If you feel strain in your back, put the weight down, then lighten the load or check your form.
• Know when to stop. Stop if you feel sick, dizzy, very short of breath, clammy, tight in the chest or in any pain. Call 111, or 999 in an emergency, if you need urgent help.
• Ask for a hand. The NHS notes that gyms usually offer new members an induction, so ask an instructor to check your technique.

What if you have been told you have low bone density?

If a scan has shown osteopenia (lower bone density than average for your age) or osteoporosis, the NHS advises talking to your GP or a health specialist before starting a new exercise programme. The ROS says most people with osteoporosis can exercise safely, choosing the type and level of exercise that is right for them. Its guidance includes:

• Talk to your doctor or a physiotherapist first if you have had many broken bones or spinal fractures, are recovering from a broken bone, or have any concerns about your own situation.
• If you have had spinal fractures or many broken bones, stick with low-impact exercise, building up to around 20 minutes on most days, unless your doctor or physio advises otherwise.
• Wait until a broken bone has healed before building up strength exercise, then build up gradually.
• Exercise is not a replacement for medicine. If you have been prescribed treatment for your bones, keep following your doctor's advice.

If you are starting later in life, our guide to strength training over 60 covers chair-based moves, balance work and building confidence step by step.

Does food matter for bone health too?

Training gives your bones a reason to get stronger, and food supplies the raw materials. The NHS says adults need 700mg of calcium a day, which a balanced diet with foods such as dairy, leafy greens, tofu and dried fruit should provide. It also says all adults should have 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day and suggests considering a daily supplement, especially as the autumn and winter sun is not strong enough for your body to make it. Unsure what suits you? Ask a pharmacist or your GP.

How can Edge help you stick with it?

The hardest part is keeping it going week after week. Edge is a free fitness app, and Edge Pro builds a fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility, ready within 24 hours, with a real coach you can message anytime. Because running and strength sit in one plan, your strength sessions and impact work fit into the same week without juggling apps. Edge Pro is from £19.99 a month and starts with a 7-day free trial, and Edge has 20,000+ members.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, pregnant, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.