Playing with your kids or grandkids, going on walks with friends, avoiding fractures, storing calcium and protecting your vital organs: These are all reasons it’s important to protect your bone health as much as possible.
Further, bone health becomes increasingly threatened as we age — and earlier than you might think. Studies have shown that bone loss begins between the ages of 30 and 40, and menopause is an exacerbating factor due to the hormonal changes it causes.
To support your bone health, you might incorporate certain nutrients into your diet, like vitamin D and calcium. You might engage in weight-bearing exercises, such as jogging, dancing or pickleball. You might have purchased some small and simple exercise equipment that helps build bone density, such as a weighted vest, dumbbells or resistance bands.
Climbing the stairs is another exercise that benefits bone density by forcing your body to resist gravity and by strengthening your leg and hip muscles. To make that more effective, consider pounding the stairs.
“Some social media posts are promoting ‘pounding the stairs’ as a bone-building trend,” said Dr. Nicholas Callahan, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at the Cleveland Hip and Knee Institute. “In most cases, they seem to mean intentionally stomping or striking the foot harder than normal on each step while going up and down stairs to increase impact/force.”
Pounding the stairs isn’t only a TikTok trend, though: It’s a habit that some doctors trust (with nuance, of course). Ahead, they explain how it can help (and hurt), especially for people over 40 years old, and other surprising exercises to do for bone health.
How Pounding The Stairs Can Benefit Bone Health
While stomping up the stairs might have been discouraged as a kid, it’s a great exercise for bone density. For starters, it’s a high-impact activity.
“Higher impact activities can load the bone,” said Dr. Natalie Danna, an orthopedic surgeon and residency program director with the department of orthopedics at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “Because bone is a living tissue that is dynamic ― it changes in response to various stimuli ― loading the bone can stimulate new bone formation that leads to higher bone density.”
Basically, when a physical activity stimulates the bone, it tells the bone cells to build more bone so it’s as strong and capable as possible.
While you may feel silly picturing yourself pounding the stairs, don’t let that hold you back. Consider this reframe and clarification: “It’s not just reckless stomping; it’s controlled loading and repetitive loading,” said Dr. Susan Bukata, chair of the department of orthopedic surgery at UC San Diego and a Solaria Bio clinical advisor.
For best results, it’s important to do this regularly. In fact, according to Bukata, “consistency matters more than intensity.” She recommended stomping the stairs as a regular exercise, rather than just pounding them whenever you have to walk up the stairs for another reason.
“‘Incidental stairs’ can be too irregular to move the needle,” she said. “In general, loading your bones at least 30 minutes a day is really important.”
That can mean one minute of pounding the stairs 30 times a day, or pounding for 30 minutes all at once, she continued — it doesn’t matter. If you’re busy, “exercise snacks,” aka shorter bursts of exercise, are surprisingly beneficial.
“Regular weight-bearing and strength exercises are very important for preventing osteoporosis and bone loss,” Bukata said. “These are some of the most effective tools we have to lower the risk of osteoporosis when we are younger.”
Danna added that lower bone density can increase the risk of fractures and the time needed to heal. “Building bone density can stop the initiation of these unfortunate events,” she said.
Osteoporosis and bone loss statistics are fairly concerning, too. For example, women can lose up to 20% of bone density in the five to seven years after menopause, and as many as 1 in 3 women over 50 experience an osteoporosis fracture. So if you thought working to improve your bone health was “no big deal” or “for other people,” think again.
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Be Cautious With Pounding The Stairs, Though
As with any exercise, it’s important to be mindful of health and safety concerns.
“I would advise caution with high-impact activities like pounding the stairs,” Danna said, warning that it could damage body tissues like cartilage (the joints) or the meniscus (in the knee).
On that note, and to be transparent, some doctors straight-up aren’t a fan.
“I would not advocate for forcefully stepping or striking one’s foot onto a stair as this is unnecessary, and any perceived benefit in increasing bone mineral density or the strength of the bone will be offset by the tremendous increase in risk of stress injuries, tendinitis, tendon or muscle strains or over-injuries,” Callahan said.
For some, climbing the stairs alone may be enough. According to Danna, it’s great for bone loading, muscle strengthening, lung health and cardiovascular health.
A mix of pounding and not pounding may be a solution of sorts for some individuals. At the very least, take it slow.
“Bones adapt best when you load them regularly and gradually increase the challenge over time,” Bukata said.
Other Bone Health Exercises For People Over 40
Besides climbing and pounding the stairs, a general focus on weight-bearing activities is a smart choice for your bones. That could mean running, walking, jogging, jumping, hiking, upright sports and yoga.
Strength training is also “non-negotiable,” according to Bukata, when it comes to bone health.
“I want people doing progressive resistance training two to three times per week with weights, machines or bands, because strong muscles create strong bones,” she said. You could do squats, lunges or deadlifts.
Danna agreed that strength training is a must. “It’s important to remember that bones are not the only tissues we should focus on after 40,” she said. “Muscle mass and strength also decrease with age … Resistance and strength training exercises are quite important as well.”
But again, that’s all in addition to climbing (and possibly pounding) the stairs, depending on what your primary care provider feels is safest and most effective for your body.