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Why Women SHOULD Load Their Spine for Stronger Bones | Quick Wits · Wits & Weights | Strength & Fat Loss Over 40

• 0:00
  Philip Pape: Have you ever been told that certain exercises are too risky for women, especially as they age?
• 0:05
  Philip Pape: Today, we're challenging this common misconception the idea that women should avoid things like loading their spine.
• 0:11
  Philip Pape: Is this well-intentioned advice actually holding women back from building stronger, healthier muscle and bones?
• 0:18
  Philip Pape: And what's the real key to maintaining bone density as we age?
• 0:21
  Philip Pape: We're going to break down the science and bust some of those myths in today's Quick Wits.
• 0:23
  Philip Pape: Bone density as we age.
• 0:24
  Philip Pape: We're going to break down the science and bust some of those myths in today's Quick Wits.
• 0:28
  Philip Pape: Welcome to the Wits and Weights podcast.
• 0:30
  Philip Pape: I'm your host, philip Pape, and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self-mastery by getting stronger, optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition.
• 0:41
  Philip Pape: We'll uncover science-backed strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle and mindset, with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry, so you can look and feel your absolute best.
• 0:51
  Philip Pape: Let's dive right in.
• 0:53
  Philip Pape: Let's talk about a topic that is crucial for women's health, especially as you age, yet it's often misunderstood, and that is spinal loading and bone strength, because for years, women, and even today women approaching or past menopause, have been cautioned against exercises that put load on their spine.
• 1:17
  Philip Pape: I've heard this.
• 1:18
  Philip Pape: I'm still amazed that I hear this and the fear is that these movements might lead to fractures or accelerate bone loss.
• 1:24
  Philip Pape: But in reality, this advice it might be well-meaning I'm not sure.
• 1:29
  Philip Pape: It's probably more out of ignorance than anything might be doing more harm than good, because the truth is our bones need that stress, that spinal loading, to stay strong.
• 1:37
  Philip Pape: There's actually a principle about this, called Wolff's Law, w-o-l-f-f that bone adapts to the loads placed upon it.
• 1:45
  Philip Pape: In other words, if you don't use it, you lose it right, just like your muscle.
• 1:48
  Philip Pape: And this is particularly crucial for women, who are at higher risk of osteoporosis as they age due to the hormonal changes.
• 1:55
  Philip Pape: So what kind of stress are we talking about?
• 1:57
  Philip Pape: We are talking about exercises and movements that load the spine, like squats, deadlifts, overhead presses.
• 2:04
  Philip Pape: Anything like that is incredibly effective at stimulating bone growth and maintaining bone density, and these are compound movements that work multiple muscle groups, but they also create the kind of mechanical stress that signals to your body that it is important to build stronger bones.
• 2:23
  Philip Pape: Now I'm not saying just jump right into heavy barbell squats If you've never lifted before, you don't have a coach, you don't know how to do them with right, the good, with good form, you know doing things poorly, with poor form definitely is a recipe for potential injury.
• 2:35
  Philip Pape: But, like any exercise program, any training routine, you're going to start where you're at assess what you know.
• 2:40
  Philip Pape: You're going to figure out what you need to get there right, and that could be reaching out to a coach, could be reaching out to me.
• 2:46
  Philip Pape: I'll help you out.
• 2:48
  Philip Pape: I'll give you some resources, send you some free videos, right.
• 2:50
  Philip Pape: Get you started some books that I would recommend, and then you start to progress, right?
• 2:55
  Philip Pape: The key is to challenge yourself and progressively increase the load over time, and the exciting part is we have studies that show that even yes, post-menopausal women can increase their bone density through resistance training.
• 3:06
  Philip Pape: One study found that after a year of progressive resistance training, postmenopausal women increase their bone mineral density by one to 3% in their spine and hips, and that's incredible.
• 3:17
  Philip Pape: Any increase is incredible because we're so used to talking about the decline in density over time, right?
• 3:23
  Philip Pape: So one to 3% might not sound like much, but most women lose 1% to 2% per year after menopause, so this is a significant improvement.
• 3:31
  Philip Pape: It's the same logic that when I talk about building muscle, how you can build new muscle at any age.
• 3:37
  Philip Pape: And again, proper form is critical, right.
• 3:40
  Philip Pape: If you have concerns about your bone health, then I would.
• 3:43
  Philip Pape: I would jump on this, but I would work with somebody who's qualified.
• 3:46
  Philip Pape: Talk to people to make sure you're doing them correctly and safely.
• 3:51
  Philip Pape: And the goal isn't just to prevent bone loss here.
• 3:53
  Philip Pape: Right, it's to build stronger, more resilient bones that support the active, vibrant lifestyle that you want later into your later years.
• 4:03
  Philip Pape: And that means you have to challenge them.
• 4:05
  Philip Pape: You have to do weight-bearing exercises, you have to progress.
• 4:08
  Philip Pape: So, ladies, please don't shy away from loading your spine.
• 4:11
  Philip Pape: I want you to embrace these powerful compound movements as a vital part of your training routine, and your bones will thank you for it.
• 4:21
  Philip Pape: If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a follow, please share it with someone else you know who could benefit from the information and, of course, reach out to me on Instagram at Wits and Weights if you have questions about how to get started lifting weights.
• 4:33
  Philip Pape: I will set you in the right direction, I promise you.
• 4:36
  Philip Pape: So reach out to me at Wits and Weights.
• 4:38
  Philip Pape: Thank you for tuning in.
• 4:39
  Philip Pape: Go out there and lift some heavy things Again.
• 4:41
  Philip Pape: Your skeleton will love you for it and I'll talk to you next time.
• 4:44
  Philip Pape: Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Wits and Weights.
• 4:51
  Philip Pape: If you found value in today's episode and know someone else who's looking to level up their wits or weights, please take a moment to share this episode with them and make sure to hit the follow button in your podcast platform right now to catch the next episode.
• 5:05
  Philip Pape: Until then, stay strong.