Benefits of Weight-Bearing Exercises

Weight-bearing exercises are physical activities that require your body to work against gravity while standing. These exercises can help improve bone health, muscle strength, and overall fitness.

weight-bearing exercises FAQ

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What is a weight bearing exercise?

In other words, any activity that involves moving your body while on your feet is a weight bearing aerobic exercise, such as walking, gardening, and dancing. Weight bearing exercise can also involve any movements in which you support yourself by bracing against the floor with your hands or feet, such as planks, pushups, or squats.

What are the different types of weight bearing exercise?

There are two primary different types of weight bearing exercises: high-impact and low impact weight bearing exercise. With high-impact weight bearing exercise, you are landing on your feet or other body parts from an airborne position, so there is a greater impact stress on your bones and joints than just your body weight.

What is weight-bearing exercise?

Weight-bearing exercise is exercise where your feet and legs support your weight. High-impact weight-bearing exercise, such as running, skipping, dancing, aerobics, and even jumping up and down on the spot, are all useful ways to strengthen your muscles, ligaments and joints.

What is a weight bearing position?

These types of activities still put your body in a weight bearing position such that you are supporting your body weight against gravity, but at least one foot or one body part remains in contact with the ground or exercise surface at all times. You are never in a “flight“ or airborne position.

What type of exercise is a weight bearing exercise?

Short bursts of activity may be best, such as running followed by a jog, or jogging followed by a walk. You are weight bearing when you are standing, with the weight of your whole body pulling down on your skeleton. Weight bearing exercise with impact involves being on your feet and adding an additional force or jolt through your skeleton.

Why is weight-bearing exercise important?

Weight-bearing exercise is essential for building and maintaining healthy bones and includes any activity you do that works your muscles and bones against gravity. During weight-bearing exercise, bone adapts to the impact of weight and the pull of muscle by building more bone cells. Consequently, the bone becomes stronger and denser.

What are some examples of weight-bearing exercise?

Some examples of weight-bearing exercise include things like walking and weight lifting. 1 Regular weight-bearing exercises stimulate your bones to increase density and strength. Weight-bearing exercises can also help prevent osteoporosis, a common condition in older adults that can increase the risk of bone fractures. 2

What is weight bearing exercise with impact?

Weight bearing exercise with impact involves being on your feet and adding an additional force or jolt through your skeleton. This could be anything from walking to star jumps. You can get weight bearing exercise with impact by taking part in some physical activity, sports or by doing specific exercises.