Weight-bear your way to healthy bones

photo by lorenzo cuppini

There are certain things we learn that stay with us always:

1. Look both ways before crossing the street.
   
2. Never talk to strangers, especially if they offer you candy.
   
3. Eat all your veggies: 5-a-day!
   
4. Exercise is good: helps you maintain a healthy weight, keeps you regular, rocks your heart and promotes strength.
   
5. Women lose bone mass after the age of 30.
   
6. Men who are avid cyclists have been shown to suffer bone de-mineralization through their spine in comparison to male runners.

What? you say, Men and osteoporosis? Yep, listen up fella's. A study published in February 2009 in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise reported that male cyclists when compared to their age and body mass matched counterparts fell short in bone mineral density.

Weight bearing exercise has numerous benefits for the normal growth of our skeletal body. Both men and women are on an upslope of bone mass through adolescence and hit a peak at around age 30. Following this third decade marker, men will slowly lose bone content and density throughout the rest of their lives while women will see a graduated effect following menopause.

Cyclists and swimmers are particularly at risk due to the weight supported nature of their chosen exercise. This puts them at higher risk of fractures from accidents or falls.

Why is this important to me?

If you are a male over the age of 30 who solely cycles for exercise, it is worth asking your doctor about getting a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scan (DXA) to test your bone density.

Focusing your training on health first, then performance is important to achieving your goals without causing significant damage to your body.

Working with a wide variety of exercises can help you gain bone mass in a variety of orientations, thus making you less vulnerable to injury. Cross training can further enhance your performance by allowing for muscular balance and improved strength.

What lessons were you taught that have stayed with you? Have you been checked for bone loss?