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Weight Training Decreases Vertebral Bone Density in Premenopausal Women: A Prospective Study^*

Department of Medicine (J.C.R., D.T.B.), Orthopedics (J.C.R., A.M.S., D.T.B.), Nuclear Medicine (D.L.), and Physical Therapy (J.M.), and the Biomedical Computing Center (S.B.), University of Massachusetts Medical Center Worcester, Massachusetts 01655
The Medical Center of Central Massachusetts/Memorial Hospital (J.L.S.) Worcester, Massachusetts 01655

Address requests for reprints to: Jessica C. Rockwell, M.D., Department of Orthopedics and Physical Rehabilitation, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655.

The effect of exercise on bone mass is unclear. To determine the skeletal effect of weight-bearing exercise in premenopausal women, we prospectively evaluated the effects of a weight-training program on lumbar spine bone mass in 10 women (mean ± SEM, 36.2 ± 1.3 yr) and compared the results with those in 7 sedentary women (40.4 ± 1.6 yr). None of the women had previously participated in a weight-training program, and all ingested a 500-mg calcium supplement each day throughout the study. Axial loading and balance of large muscle groups were emphasized. Individual strength increased by 57 ± 8% over 9 months. Despite the increase in muscle strength, lumbar spine bone density in the exercising women decreased by 2.90% at 4.5 months and 3.96% at 9 months (P = 0.01). In contrast, there was no change in lumbar density in the controls over the 9-month period. We conclude that short term weight training at this frequency and intensity decreases vertebral bone mass in premenopausal women.

^* An abstract of this work has been presented at the ASBMR Annual Meeting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on September 9, 1989.

Received March 26, 1990.

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