Osteoporosis - What the Science Says

This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1 here.

In Part 1, I shared what is quietly happening to women's bones and muscles from their forties onward — and why the statistics around hip fractures and osteoporosis in New Zealand should make us all pay attention.

Now for the good news. And the action.

Training… or Just Moving?

There is an important difference between moving your body and actually training it. And for many women, that gap is the missing piece.

You might go to the gym. Do a class. Lift light dumbbells. Sweat a lot. It feels like exercise — because it is. But feeling like a workout and building the strength your bones need are two very different things.

Walking, light cardio, yoga, Pilates — all good for you, and absolutely worth keeping in your life. But not enough to build strong bones. The mechanical load they place on your skeleton is simply too low to trigger the adaptation your bones need, especially as oestrogen declines through perimenopause and menopause.

What about group fitness or HIIT? These feel intense — and for your heart and lungs, they are. But intensity of effort is not the same as intensity of load. A group class or HIIT session raises your heart rate and burns energy. It does not progressively load your skeleton in a way that signals it to grow stronger. The stimulus is different, and for bone health, that difference is everything.

What's missing is weight that challenges you.

Not comfortable weight. Not the same dumbbells you've been picking up for two years. Weight that your body genuinely has to work hard to lift — and that forces it to respond by building more muscle and denser bone. Lift heavy. Challenge your bones. Get stronger over time.

This is not a personal opinion. It is exactly what a landmark Australian clinical trial proved — in postmenopausal women who already had low bone mass.

The LIFTMOR Trial: What Australian Researchers Discovered

In 2018, Dr Belinda Beck and her team at Griffith University in Queensland published the results of the LIFTMOR trial — Lifting Intervention For Training Muscle and Osteoporosis Rehabilitation.

They recruited postmenopausal women who already had osteopenia or osteoporosis. Women who, by conventional wisdom, should be keeping things gentle.

Instead, they had them lift heavy barbells.

The programme:

• Twice a week, 30 minutes per session
• Deadlifts, back squats, overhead press, and jumping chin-ups
• Working toward 5 sets of 5 repetitions at above 85% of maximum capacity
• Fully supervised throughout, with the first month dedicated entirely to technique

The results after 8 months:

Women who trained at high intensity improved their lumbar spine bone density by approximately 2.9%. Women in the low-intensity control group lost 1.2%. That is a 4% difference — meaningful protection against fracture risk.

Hip bone density was maintained in the strength training group. It continued to decline in the control group.

Physical function, strength, and balance all improved significantly.

Safety: One report of minor lower back discomfort. No fractures. No serious adverse events.

Women with diagnosed osteoporosis, lifting heavy barbells under qualified supervision, were not just safe — they were building stronger bones.

The study's conclusion was clear: high-intensity resistance training is both effective and safe for postmenopausal women with low bone mass, provided it is performed under qualified supervision with proper technique progression.

That last part is everything.

Why Coaching Is Not Optional

The LIFTMOR results were achieved because technique came first. Every participant learned to move correctly before load was added. Then weight was increased methodically, session by session, with a coach present throughout.

This is not the same as going to a gym and picking up heavy dumbbells. The supervision was not a nice-to-have. It was the mechanism that made the programme both safe and effective.

Lifting heavy without proper coaching carries real injury risk. Lifting heavy with proper coaching is one of the most powerful things a woman in midlife can do for her long-term health.

What This Looks Like at Surpass Fitness

This is exactly why I work with clients one-on-one — and why every new client starts with a private coaching session before anything else.

Everyone's body is different. Everyone's starting point, history, and movement patterns are different. What is safe and effective for one person may not be right for another — especially when conditions like osteoporosis or osteopenia are involved.

Private coaching means your technique gets my full attention. Your load gets progressed at the right pace for your body. Your programme is built around your schedule, your goals, and what your bones actually need — not a generic plan designed for a room full of people.

Here is how the 12-week programme is structured:

Weeks 1–2: Foundation Movement assessment, technique coaching, and learning the fundamental lifts at light load. No one goes under a barbell before they can move safely and confidently.

Weeks 3–6: Building Load is introduced progressively. We find your working weight — challenging but technically sound. Sessions run 2–3 times per week.

Weeks 7–12: Progressive Overload Working toward heavier sets in the 5-rep range. Building real mechanical load. This is where the bone and muscle adaptation happens.

This is private, focused, and built entirely around you.

My Client's Story

The client I mentioned in Part 1 — the one whose fracture revealed bone loss she had no idea about — is now doing things in the gym she never thought possible. Weights she never imagined lifting. Strength she didn't know she had.

More importantly, she understands her body. She understands why she is training this way. She feels great after sessions, recovers quickly, and for the first time in years, she genuinely enjoys going to the gym.

That didn't happen by accident. It happened because we built her foundation first, and then we loaded — progressively, safely, and with purpose.

Where to Start

You do not need experience. You do not need to know what a deadlift is. You do not need to already be fit.

You just need to start — and to start correctly.

Book a free 20-minute assessment at Surpass Fitness in Waikanae. We will talk about where you are, what your goals are, and what the right starting point looks like for you.

Your bones are responding to every training session — or not responding to the absence of one. The window is open. And it matters more right now than it ever will again.

Natsumi Swain Certified Personal Trainer 022 078 6122

Source: Watson SL et al. High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial. J Bone Miner Res. 2018;33(2):211–220.