Additional authors on the study were Austin Sventeckis, Ph. student, and Robyn Fuchs, associate professor, of the IU School of Health and Human Sciences at IUPUI, and Rachel Surowiec of the School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI.

For Immediate Release Oct 11, Stuart Warden. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University. Researchers used high-resolution imaging to assess bone strength in areas of the shin bone and foot where bone stress injuries frequently occur in runners.

Image courtesy Stuart Warden. Media Contact. Office of the Vice President for Research. P: E: kelrcook iu. Explore media resources. The benefits of Speed Training are many and can truly help Athletes and Sports Teams increase in their athletic potential.

Speed Training involves the increase in muscle power through both speed, technical guidance and increased range of motion. As athletes enter each stage of Speed Training, the exercises and drills become easier with greater explosive force behind each repetition.

By improving the amount of force that muscles can produce and accept from the ground, athletes will be on the right path to running faster, jumping higher and changing direction quicker.

This makes Speed Training ideal for athletes who run and perform agile movements such as Sprinters, Soccer, Lacrosse, Hockey, Baseball and Basketball players to name a few. Speed Training drills increase agility and speed with specific movements and sprinting techniques.

Over time, the muscles ability to generate power and increase in fast twitch muscle fibres increases over time. By using the use of weighted resistance or speed enhancers to force fast twitch muscles into overdrive, Speed training increases the athlete's ability to perform well.

The Benefits of Speed Training:. Speed Training for athletes has many benefits but is not limited to the following:. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: physical activity and bone health. Med Sci Sports Exerc. Health NIo. Calcium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals [updated 6th October Sale C, Elliott-Sale KJ.

Nutrition and Athlete Bone Health. Sports Med. Lappe J, Cullen D, Haynatzki G, Recker R, Ahlf R, Thompson K. Calcium and vitamin d supplementation decreases incidence of stress fractures in female navy recruits. J Bone Miner Res. Maroon JC, Mathyssek CM, Bost JW, Amos A, Winkelman R, Yates AP, et al.

Vitamin D profile in National Football League players. Am J Sports Med. Cannell JJ, Hollis BW, Sorenson MB, Taft TN, Anderson JJ.

Athletic performance and vitamin D. Ward KA, Das G, Berry JL, Roberts SA, Rawer R, Adams JE, et al. Vitamin D status and muscle function in post-menarchal adolescent girls. J Clin Endocrinol Metab.

This article was kindly supplied by SNAP, your gateway to optimal bone health! At SNAP, we are passionate about revolutionizing the way people approach bone health.

We understand the profound impact strong and healthy bones can have on your overall well-being, vitality, and quality of life. Our mission is to empower individuals like you to take charge of your bone health journey and unlock your full potential.

Visit the website today to find out more information and join the community. Go to www. Bone Health for Athletes. The Importance of Proper Nutrition and Training From sprinters to swimmers, athletes know the importance of maintaining peak performance. Understanding the Importance of Bone Health Our bones play a pivotal role in our body, not just structurally but functionally too.

Exercise and Bone Health: How Training Gives You Stronger Bones There's plenty of evidence that exercise can reduce your fracture risk. Optimal Training for Bone Health To maintain bone mass, The American College of Sports Medicine recommends minutes of moderate to high-intensity, weight-bearing and jumping activities combined with resistance exercises at least 3 times per week.

Aim for dynamic movements over static ones. Mix up your training types to vary the loading patterns.

Calcium : Calcium is essential for maintaining bone integrity. Dairy is the most significant source, calcium is also found in abundance in leafy greens, tinned sardines and foods fortified with calcium. For adults, an adequate calcium intake is mg per day, equivalent to one cup of fortified orange juice, g of low-fat yoghurt, and a serving of tinned salmon with cooked kale.

Getting your calcium from your diet is preferable to calcium supplementation as there are risks of kidney stones and cardiovascular problems even at low doses.

Getting calcium from your diet doesn't seem to pose the same risks for kidney stones or cardiovascular events. Vitamin D : It's not enough to consume calcium; the body needs Vitamin D to absorb it effectively. Vitamin D is crucial for bones and deficiency is linked to low bone mineral density and bone injuries, including stress fractures.

Vitamin D deficiency is common in indoor athletes and those who don't get adequate sunlight exposure. For these groups, vitamin D supplementation has been shown to decrease the risk of stress fractures, while low vitamin D levels have been linked to a greater risk for fractures and poor performance.

Carbohydrates : Contrary to the rising popularity of low-carb diets among athletes, it's essential to acknowledge their role in bone health.

A shift towards low carbohydrate-high fat diets might jeopardize bone health. Protein : A common dietary recommendation for athletes is higher protein consumption, considering the increased demands of athletic training. The bone turnover rate is escalated due to intense physical activity, making the need for protein even more pronounced for athletes.

However, there's a caveat - higher protein, especially from animal sources, could affect bone health due to the 'acid-ash hypothesis'.

This theory suggests that the body might break down bone tissue to counteract increased acidity from protein intake. While this theory hasn't been proven, it's advisable to pairing protein-rich diets with sufficient calcium is advisable. Other Vital Nutrients : Beyond calcium and vitamin D, several other nutrients deserve attention for bone health.

Magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamin K are direct contributors to bone formation. Moreover, athletes should also focus on micronutrients such as silicon, manganese, copper, boron, iron, zinc, vitamins A, C, and B vitamins.

These support various metabolic processes pivotal for bone health. The journey to peak performance goes far beyond muscle training; it delves deep into the foundation of our body - our bones. Whether you're a weekend jogger or a dedicated athlete, it's vital to prioritise bone health in your training and nutrition.

Embracing a comprehensive approach that through exercises and a nutrient-rich diet, you can set the stage for your personal bests and your personal wellbeing.

Goolsby MA, Boniquit N. Bone Health in Athletes. Sports Health. Taylor RE, Zheng C, Jackson RP, Doll JC, Chen JC, Holzbaur KRS, et al. The phenomenon of twisted growth: humeral torsion in dominant arms of high performance tennis players. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering.

LeBlanc AD, Spector ER, Evans HJ, Sibonga JD. Skeletal responses to space flight and the bed rest analog: a review. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact. Hart NH, Nimphius S, Rantalainen T, Ireland A, Siafarikas A, Newton RU.

Mechanical basis of bone strength: influence of bone material, bone structure and muscle action. Kohrt WM, Bloomfield SA, Little KD, Nelson ME, Yingling VR. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: physical activity and bone health.

Med Sci Sports Exerc. Health NIo. Calcium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals [updated 6th October Sale C, Elliott-Sale KJ. Nutrition and Athlete Bone Health. Sports Med. Lappe J, Cullen D, Haynatzki G, Recker R, Ahlf R, Thompson K. Calcium and vitamin d supplementation decreases incidence of stress fractures in female navy recruits.

J Bone Miner Res. Maroon JC, Mathyssek CM, Bost JW, Amos A, Winkelman R, Yates AP, et al. The dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry DXA exam was performed at the Exercise Research Laboratory LAPEX at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

All tests and examinations were performed by previously trained researchers. This procedure was conducted at the beginning of the academic years and The procedures for collecting physical fitness variables were performed according to the PROESP-BR Projeto Esporte Brasil Guidelines for Measurements, Tests, and Assessments Gaya et al.

The physical fitness variables tested were 1 sprint, assessed with the running test at a maximum speed of 20 m; 2 agility, assessed through the 4×4-m square test; 3 lower limb power LLP , assessed using the standing long jump test, and 4 upper limb power ULP , assessed using the 2-kg medicine ball throw test.

These tests have international use and validation with good evidence Bös and Schlenker, ; Calleja-González et al. Areal bone mineral density aBMD was collected from the analysis of body composition according to the recommendations of the manufacturer of the DXA device of the GE Healthcare model, Lunar Prodigy Madison, United States.

A trained researcher and qualified laboratory technician carried out the examinations and handling of the device, respectively. The device was calibrated once a day before the evaluation sessions. Children were instructed to remove any metal material and wear clothes without zips, buckles, or buttons.

The evaluator placed the subjects in the supine position and asked them to remain motionless during the measurement, for approximately 5 min, while the equipment arm passed over the body in the head—foot direction. The values of aBMD e.

Due to the influence that bone mass indicators suffer from biological variables Bachrach, , the lean mass percentage and maturity-offset were considered covariates.

The total body lean mass percentages were made available during the DXA exam, along with the bone variables. For maturity-offset calculation, the following variables were required: height, body mass, sitting height, and length of the lower limbs.

The data collection for these variables and the calculation of maturity offset followed the recommendations proposed by Mirwald et al. The children performed the measurements in light clothes e.

All anthropometric procedures followed are as described in PROESP-BR Guidelines for Measurements, Tests, and Assessments Gaya et al.

For the measurement of body mass, a portable scale with an accuracy of up to g was used. During the assessment, the children and adolescents remained standing with their elbows extended and close to their bodies.

For the measurement of height and sitting height, a portable stadiometer or measuring tape with a precision of up to 2 mm was used.

For the sitting height, a bench with a standard size of 40 cm was used, and the zero point of the measuring tape was on the bench. For the treatment of data, a descriptive analysis was first performed. In this analysis, the mean value and standard deviation were identified for continuous variables.

In the next step, an exploratory analysis was conducted to identify the normality parameters in the physical fitness variables. In this procedure, the Kolmogorov—Smirnov test was performed. After these steps, the association analyses were performed to estimate variabilities of bone health indicators outcomes from the physical fitness variables analyzed separately.

At this stage, a correlation matrix was created between the physical fitness variables and all the bone variables; this procedure is a prerequisite for linear regression.

Then, simple and multiple linear regression equations were used. Collinearity was checked for the variables using the variance inflation factor VIF and tolerance levels. In the multiple regression analysis, the equation was adjusted for covariates sex, maturity-offset, and lean mass percentage after the multicollinearity test.

For these analyses, we have applied the Bonferroni correction for multiple testing and assumed a significant p -value below 0. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS for Windows version For all analyses, an alpha value of 0.

Table 1 describes information on the distribution and central tendency of anthropometric variables, maturity-offset, physical fitness, lean mass percentage, age, and aBMD in each body region. The mean values of the variables age, height, and weight were similar in the total sample and when stratified by sex.

The other variables had different mean values. TABLE 1. Distribution and central tendency of anthropometric variables, maturity-offset, physical fitness, lean and fat percentage, age and aBMD. The correlation between the physical fitness variables and bone mass variables is described in Table 2.

When the co-variables were included in the analyses adjustment , some variables lost their statistical significance. Considering the constant co-variables, the sprint was associated with aBMD in the total body for every 1 s more in the 20 m run test, a 0.

TABLE 3. Estimation of the variability of aBMD in different body segments from sprint and covariates. Considering the constant co-variables, agility was associated with aBMD in the total body for every 1 s more in the 4×4-m square test, a 0.

TABLE 4. Estimation of the variability of aBMD in different body segments from the agility and covariates. When the co-variables were included in the analyses adjustments , some variables lost their statistical significance. Considering the constant co-variables, the lower limb power was associated with aBMD in the legs for every 1 cm more in the standing long jump test, it was estimated to increase by 0.

TABLE 5. Estimation of the variability of aBMD in different body segments from the lower limb power and covariates. When the co-variables were included in the analyses adjustments , all variables lost their statistical significance. TABLE 6. Estimation of the variability of aBMD in different body segments from the upper limb power and covariates.

The aim of this study was to analyze the associations between performance in tests of speed, agility, and musculoskeletal fitness power of upper and lower limbs with the bone mass of different regions of the body in children, considering the adjustment to maturity-offset, lean mass percentage, and sex.

Thus, the main evidence of this study points to a relationship between speed, agility, and lower limb power, the capacities those require constant ground impact plus large muscle contraction, with the aBMD in different skeletal regions TBLH, spine, hip, and specially legs of children regardless of the level of lean mass, sex, and distance to the peak of their growth.

For both speed and agility, it was not possible to clearly observe associations in the correlation matrix. However, in these results, the highest correlations later confirmed in the regression models were with the aBMD of the legs.

This relationship seems logical since the greatest muscle demand and the greatest bone overload for sprint and agility activities are in the legs Douma-van Riet et al. The physical activities that potentially develop speed and agility are high-intensity running with or without changing the direction.

Earlier studies Castro-Piñero et al. In this way, as Gómez-Bruton et al. Running activities are characterized by a succession of jumps, and the ground reaction force directly impacts the bones with each touch of the foot on the ground Završnik et al.

The force impressed on the ground by a child during a high-intensity run is approximately two—three times their body weight Anliker et al. In this sense, a force passes through the bones of the legs, hips, and lumbar spine specifically, causing the piezoelectric effect passage of electric currents through the interior of the bones.

Evidence indicates that the piezoelectric effect is one of the main reasons responsible for the osteogenic effect of these activities Theintz et al. In the same sense, the lower limb power was strongly related to all bone variables on the basis of the correlation analyses.

In the same logic, the muscular power of the lower limbs mainly responds to the activities of different jumps, which also take advantage of the benefits of the ground reaction force jumps can have 3.

However, for this physical capacity specifically, rapid muscle contraction is more required that causes the tendons to also overload the bones, thereby enhancing the osteogenic effect. Although lower limb power mainly responds to activities with higher osteogenic potential, when the associations were adjusted for sex, maturation, and lean mass, only the aBMD of the spine, total body, and legs remained associated.

This demonstrates that although there is a tendency for more powerful children to have a better profile of bone mass and lean mass, the maturational stage has to be evaluated as well.

Our suggestion for future studies is that this association can be explored by considering mediation and moderation analyses of these covariates. The physical capacity that had lost the significant association, after adjustment, was the power of the upper limbs.

As discussed earlier, we expected that because of the traction exerted by the tendons, the associations would also occur with this variable. However, we understand that the test does not completely isolate muscle power and may mechanically benefit children and adolescents with longer, but not necessarily more powerful, arms Ikeda et al.

Furthermore, the evident lack of activities that generate a continuous impact on the upper limbs may be the explanation for the results found.

Studies with adolescent fighters showed that the BMD was higher than that in non-fighters Ciaccioni et al.

Furthermore, lean mass, as found in other studies Vicente-Rodríguez et al. This study has strong points that deserve to be highlighted. The evidence presented comes largely from the gold standard assessments. Furthermore, the physical tests that were used have great national repercussion and have acceptable validity criteria see the Materials and methods section.

Furthermore, as far as we know, the analysis proposal has not yet been presented for the age group studied, making the study unprecedented. The development of physical fitness is different in boys and girls, and the ideal was a stratified analysis; however, the sample size did not allow us to do this.

The maturity-offset proposed by Mirwald et al. Furthermore, more specific bone mass assessments such as the femoral neck and radioulnar epiphysis would be very appropriate for children, but the DXA device used did not have specific software for this assessment.

We found that the adjustment analysis could have the considered physical activity levels but could not access this variable in all participants. Collectively, the results indicated that speed, agility, and musculoskeletal fitness, specifically lower limb power, are associated with aBMD in different body regions.

These associations occur in the total body, spine, hip, and legs when adjusted for sex, maturity-offset and lean body mass, and aBMD of the legs having the best magnitude of association R 2 with these three physical fitness components.

Furthermore, sprint ability appears to be associated with both legs and hip aBMD, being a great predictor of bone health. In summary, the aBMD is a good indicator between fitness and bone mass relationship in children, but it is important to consider what fitness variable and what skeletal region.

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Research Ethics Committee. JM and FR have the same importance as the first authors working on all stages of this manuscript, statistical analysis, drafting, and argumentative structure.

LG reviewed the draft, statistical analysis, and final version. JP performed the data collection, discussed the results, and drafted the manuscript.

ARG and AG coordinated the development of the research project and reviewed the final version of the manuscript. All authors have reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript. The author funding ARG.

We would like to acknowledge Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior CAPES, Brazil for the PhD scholarships of the authors JT and JM. We would like to acknowledge Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico CNPq, Brazil for the researcher scholarship level 1-D of the Adroaldo Gaya.

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, editors, and reviewers.

Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Anliker E. Maximum ground reaction force in relation to tibial bone mass in children and adults. Sports Exerc 43, — PubMed Abstract CrossRef Full Text Google Scholar.

Arabi A. Bone mineral density by age, gender, pubertal stages, and socioeconomic status in healthy Lebanese children and adolescents. Bone 35, — Bachrach L. Acquisition of optimal bone mass in childhood and adolescence.

Trends Endocrinol Metab 12, 22— Bös K. Google Scholar. Calleja-González J. Reproducibilidad de test de aceleración y cambio de dirección en fútbol. RICYDE 11, — CrossRef Full Text Google Scholar.

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Strength Cond.

This is because it can improve jump height, change of direction speed, acceleration, agility, and even prevent against injuries. However, over the last few years it has become increasingly popular in older populations with research clearly demonstrating that it also has the power to increase bone density Kato, ; Hinton, I should note that in this situation one mode of exercises is not better than the other.

In fact, I would recommend a combination of weight training and jump training to optimise the development of bone. I mentioned earlier in the article that three weight training sessions per week appears best when it comes to improving bone density.

Additionally, research has shown that three jump sessions per week will also provide optimal bone benefits. With this in mind, if you are intending to use both of them in your training, I would encourage you to perform three sessions of heavy weight training per week, with the addition of jump sessions.

This could be further supplemented by some lighter intensity impactful aerobic exercises like skipping or jogging times per week. Now, can you exercise too much — I mean, is too much exercise hard on your bones? Some people think that athletes are at a greater risk of low bone density because they train so much.

During intense periods of training, you will see small increase in the breakdown of muscle and connective tissue including bone. However, if your recovery and nutrition is on point, this breakdown will stimulate the growth of new bone and muscle tissue.

But if your recovery and nutrition is poor, then tissue breakdown will outweigh adaptation and growth. And if this is sustained over long periods of time, it can lead to a loss of bone mineral density. So, while too much exercise is not necessarily the culprit, inadequate recovery from that exercise can be.

Related Article: Exercise: Is It Passion Or Addiction? Earlier in this article I mentioned that loss of bone density is heavily dictate by lifestyle factors — of which exercise is of great importance.

First and foremost, you want to ensure that you are eating enough energy to meet your exercise demands. This is integral your recovery after your workouts, which will optimise the growth of new bone Sahni, Additionally, there is also evidence to suggest that higher intakes of Vitamin D, magnesium, and calcium can all delay the loss of bone — as will diets rich in fruits, vegetables, seafood, and dairy.

Taking all this information into consideration, I wanted to provide you with the best bone health tips on the planet. If you manage to stick to these, then you will be in a very good place to keep your bones healthy indefinitely. By making sure that you exercise appropriately and consume a nutritious diet, you can sustain and even improve your bone density across your lifespan, preventing a myriad of health issues in the process.

Demontiero, Oddom, Christopher Vidal, and Gustavo Duque. Carter, Melissa I. Benedetti, Maria Grazia, et al. Kato, Takeru, et al. Hinton, Pamela S. MacKnight, John M. Sahni, Shivani, et al. You must be logged in to post a comment. How to Increase Bone Health. Scary, I know Especially when you consider that having poor bone density seriously increases your risk of bone fractures and breaks — many of which can become fatal in later life.

How does bone density change as you age? Bone density and aging. Does exercise increase bone density? Especially exercise Carter, Related Article: Exercise as a Stimulus for Bone Health The best bone building exercises As I alluded to above, for exercise to have a positive effect on bone health, it needs to involve load.

But even better is weight training Benedetti, Jump training and bone health benefits In conjunction with weight training, there has also been some recent research looking into jump training and its effects on bone health. And the results have been pretty impressive thus far.

How much exercise is needed for good bone health? You Might Like:. How to Increase Bone Health Did you know that more than 50 million Americans are currently living with low bone Exercise to Prevent Osteoporosis Hunter Bennett In modern society, we are now being afflicted by a number of unique Achieve Optimal Bone Health With High Intensity Interval Training The Evolution Of Exercise Prescription In Bone Health Dr.

Sarah West In September , I had the pleasure of attending one of my Athletes May Be Suffering From Vitamin D Deficiency Moji Kaviani, Ph. Is Milk Beneficial for Exercise Recovery? For athletes who already play multidirectional sports, he said it is important that they take time off for rest and recovery during the year, which can improve both bone strength and performance.

Additional authors on the study were Austin Sventeckis, Ph. student, and Robyn Fuchs, associate professor, of the IU School of Health and Human Sciences at IUPUI, and Rachel Surowiec of the School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. For Immediate Release Oct 11, Stuart Warden.

Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University. Researchers used high-resolution imaging to assess bone strength in areas of the shin bone and foot where bone stress injuries frequently occur in runners. Image courtesy Stuart Warden. Media Contact. Office of the Vice President for Research. P: E: kelrcook iu.

Explore media resources. Filed under: News Release Research School of Health and Human Sciences. Previous article. IU film expert discovers earliest surviving footage from Black film company. Next article.

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