TLDR
- Robyn started strength training at 59 with no prior experience — by 70, her BMD had increased in her lumbar spine (11.2%), right femur (9.5%), and left femur (6.6%)
- Women can lose up to 20% of bone density in the first five years after menopause — the window to act is now
- The exercises that actually move the needle require heavier loads than most women are used to, and that’s safe when done under proper supervision
- Robyn trained an average of 2.5 times per week — consistency over years, not perfection, is the real mechanism
- Strength training also builds the muscle needed to protect bones from falls — both sides of the equation matter
- It is never too late to start, regardless of age
One in three women over 50 will experience a fracture related to osteoporosis.6 Most women don’t know they’re at risk until after the fracture. It’s why osteoporosis is called the “silent disease”.
I’ve been training women in Salt Lake City and the surrounding valley since 2012, and bone density comes up often in conversations with women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. What they don’t always hear is that there’s something concrete they can do about it — something that doesn’t require a prescription, and that has a real, documented track record.
Robyn’s story is the best example I have. She’s my mother-in-law, and she started training with me in 2011 when she was 59 years old. She came in not because she was passionate about lifting weights, but because she wanted to support what I was doing when I was just starting my career as a trainer. From that modest beginning, she built something remarkable — a consistent training practice that, over a decade later, is showing up in her bone density scans in ways that still impress her doctors.
From February 2021 to December 2025, Robyn improved her bone mineral density in her lumbar spine by over 11%, her right femur by over 9%, and her left femur by almost 7%. She was 70 years old at the time of that last scan. She’s golfing. She’s playing pickleball. She keeps up with her grandsons — ranging from age 5 to 22.
Here’s what she did, why it worked, and what it could mean for you.
What Menopause Actually Does to Bone — And Why the Timing Matters
Bones are living tissue. They grow, break down, and rebuild throughout your life — a process called remodeling. Starting in your 30s, that rebuild process starts to slow down. You’re still forming bone, but you’re losing it a little faster than you’re replacing it.
Menopause accelerates this dramatically. Estrogen plays a key role in slowing bone breakdown — it essentially acts as a brake on the cells that resorb bone tissue. When estrogen levels drop during and after menopause, that brake releases. Research shows women can lose up to 20% of their bone density within the first five years of menopause.5 That’s not a gradual decline — that’s a window of accelerated loss that most women don’t realize is happening.
Osteopenia — lower than normal bone mineral density — is often where women land first. Left unaddressed, it can progress to osteoporosis, which means significantly reduced density and a much higher risk of fracture.
The earlier you start building and protecting bone density, the more you have to work with. But — and this is important — it is not too late to start, whatever your age. Robyn’s results prove that.
What Robyn’s Training Actually Looked Like
Robyn started with the basics. Core strength first, then functional compound movements: squats, lunges, deadlifts, push-ups, rows. These may sound intimidating if you haven’t done them before, but she didn’t start with much weight at all. Because she had no formal strength training background, many of the early sessions looked fairly simple from the outside. But she was always challenging herself — always doing a little more weight, a few more reps, than the session before.
Month over month, year over year, those small increases compounded into something significant.
Her schedule was realistic, not extreme. Over the past decade, Robyn has averaged just under 2.5 sessions per week. She didn’t train every day or follow a complicated program. She showed up consistently, worked hard within her sessions, and let time do the rest.
One thing worth noting: research suggests that high-impact exercises — like landing from a jump — can be particularly effective for BMD. But Robyn did very little of that in the four years between her scans. Her results came primarily from progressive resistance training. That’s actually an important point for many women who find high-impact movement uncomfortable or aren’t good candidates for it. You don’t have to jump to make meaningful gains. What you do need is heavier weights, consistency, and progression.
Why the Numbers Look the Way They Do
Robyn’s scan results aren’t magic. The numbers from her DEXA scan — the gold-standard imaging test for bone density — are the product of well-understood physiology, applied consistently over time.
When you lift heavy, your muscles pull on your bones. That mechanical stress signals the body to build more bone tissue to handle the load. The research is clear that not all exercise creates this signal. Walking is excellent for cardiovascular health and general wellbeing, but it typically doesn’t produce the level of mechanical stimulus needed to increase bone density. The body adapts to what it’s regularly asked to do.
For resistance training to drive BMD improvement, the evidence points to working at loads around 80% of your one-rep maximum — roughly the weight you could lift for eight reps before your form breaks down.1 That’s genuinely heavy for most people. It’s not what most women default to when they train on their own. It requires progressive programming and someone who knows how to get you there safely.
Because of her increased BMD, Robyn also has a lower fracture risk than she would otherwise. And because strength training builds muscle alongside bone, she’s also less likely to fall in the first place. That’s the dual benefit that makes this kind of training so valuable as women age — stronger bones and the strength and balance to protect them.
Building Muscle and Bone Together — Why Both Matter
Bone density and muscle mass are more connected than most people realize. After menopause, women lose both — a condition called sarcopenia describes the age-related muscle loss that accelerates without intervention.4 Muscle and bone respond to the same training stimulus. When you build muscle through progressive resistance training, you’re also creating the mechanical forces that drive bone adaptation.
This is why the research on how to build muscle and bone density as a woman over 50 consistently points to the same type of training: compound movements, progressive overload, and sufficient load. It’s not about lifting as much as possible. It’s about lifting more than your body is currently adapted to — and doing that consistently, over months and years.
Robyn didn’t set out to become strong. She set out to protect her health. Strength was what happened along the way — and it changed what she’s able to do in her daily life more than any other single thing she’s done for her health.
What Does Starting Look Like
The key is to start now — it’s never too late. Robyn improved her BMD in her 60s. We also have members at 212 Fitness in their 80s who are surprising their doctors with how well their bone density has held. Not everyone sees the same gains, but strength training consistently helps — for BMD, for fracture risk, for how you move through your life.
Because the exercises that drive bone density improvement require genuine load and good technique, how you start matters. At 212 Fitness in Millcreek, we recommend most women begin with personal training — one-on-one sessions where the programming is built specifically around your history, your goals, and your body. The exercises that build bone density carry a higher risk of injury when progressed too quickly or performed with poor form. Working one-on-one means you learn to move correctly first, and get pushed at exactly the right pace.
For women who prefer to train alongside others, our small group training is structured very differently from a typical group fitness class. Sessions are capped at six people — and usually run with three or four — all women with similar goals. Think of it as sharing a personal trainer with a small group of people who are working toward the same things you are. You still get individualized attention and programming designed for your level, just with the energy and accountability of training alongside others.
We start new clients with two strength training sessions per week. The first phase focuses on building core strength and learning the fundamental movement patterns — squats, step-ups, push-ups, deadlifts, rows. These movements are modified to wherever you are starting from. No one walks in on day one lifting heavy. You build toward it, with coaches who know how to get you there without overdoing it.
If you’re trying to decide whether personal training is the right fit, this article walks through the question honestly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can strength training actually increase bone density after menopause?
Yes. Strength training is one of the most evidence-backed tools for increasing or maintaining bone mineral density after menopause.1 Robyn’s results — documented by DEXA scan across four years — are a real-world example of what consistent, progressive training can do.
How long does it take to see changes in bone density from exercise?
Research shows meaningful BMD changes typically emerge after eight to twelve months of consistent, high-intensity resistance training. Some studies show earlier improvements, but Robyn’s results reflect what sustained commitment over years can produce. Think of this as a long-term investment, not a short-term fix.
What kind of strength training is best for bone health after 50?
Compound movements — deadlifts, squats, presses, rows — performed at loads around 80% of your one-rep maximum are the most effective for driving bone adaptation.1 The specific exercises that work best depend on your individual history, mobility, and starting point, which is why working with an experienced trainer matters.
Is it too late to start if I’m already in my 60s or 70s?
No. Robyn’s most recent scan was at age 70, and it showed improvement. We have members in their 80s who are maintaining bone density that surprises their physicians. It becomes more important to start carefully and progress intelligently, but the biology still responds.
Should I get a bone density scan before I start training?
It’s a good idea, but don’t let it delay you. You can start building bone density whether or not you have a baseline scan. That said, having a baseline DEXA scan gives you a way to measure your progress over time — and knowing your starting point helps us program more precisely for you. Talk to your doctor about getting one if you haven’t had one recently.
Ready to Start?
Robyn didn’t walk in knowing she’d be playing pickleball and keeping up with her grandsons at 70. She just started — showed up, did the work, and let consistency do the rest. That’s available to you too.
If you’re curious about what a program built specifically for you could look like, I’d love to have that conversation. We offer a free intro session at 212 Fitness in Millcreek — no pressure, just an honest conversation about where you are, what you’re working with, and where you want to go.
Book your free intro session here!
Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or nutrition regimen.
212 Fitness | 2191 E 3300 S, Millcreek, UT | twotwelvefitness.com | (801) 946-9732
Citations
1. Patel D, et al. “High-Intensity and High-Impact Exercises in Improving Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review.” Cureus (2023). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9990535/
2. Endocrine Society. “Menopause and Bone Loss.” Endocrine Society Patient Resources (2022). https://www.endocrine.org/patient-engagement/endocrine-library/menopause-and-bone-loss
3. Atapattu PM, et al. “Impact of Menopause Hormone Therapy, Exercise, and Their Combination on Bone Mineral Density and Mental Wellbeing in Menopausal Women: A Scoping Review.” Frontiers in Reproductive Health (2025). https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/reproductive-health/articles/10.3389/frph.2025.1542746/full
4. Dalmas E, et al. “Endocrinal Metabolic Regulation on the Skeletal System in Post-Menopausal Women.” Frontiers in Physiology (2022). https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.1052429/full
5. Cleveland Clinic. “What To Know About Menopause and Bone Loss.” Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials (2026). https://health.clevelandclinic.org/osteoporosis-and-menopause
6. International Osteoporosis Foundation. “Epidemiology of Osteoporosis and Fragility Fractures.” IOF Facts & Statistics (2024). https://www.osteoporosis.foundation/facts-statistics/epidemiology-of-osteoporosis-and-fragility-fractures
7. Harvard Health Publishing. “What’s the Difference Between Osteoporosis and Osteopenia?.” Harvard Women’s Health Watch (2023). https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/whats-the-difference-between-osteoporosis-and-osteopenia