QUESTION: I’m a 45 year old male that has been riding 4-5 days a week for the last 7 or 8 years consistantly. My concern is that as I age I am losing bone density based on the fact that I’m participating in a non-load bearing activity. If I don’t do any other activities should I consider vitamin supplements or should I pick up a load-bearing activity like running? — Bill B.
RBR REPLIES: Your question is a good one for a male rider at your age and with your history of cycling. The short answer is weight-bearing activity. Bone mineral density has been in the headlines a lot of late.
A study (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol. 25, Number 3, March 2011) noted that the high percentage of male master cyclists with low bone mineral density, when combined with the likelihood of fractures resulting from crashes, warrants greater attention. They specifically suggested, “Coaches and health professionals interacting with cyclists need to promote alternative exercise such as weight training, plyometrics, and other high-impact activity to complement cycling training to help minimize bone loss in this population.”
Running certainly can have a positive effect on skeletal health. If you’re in your off-season and live in an appropriate spot, cross-country skiing and/or snowshoeing might be a more beneficial form of cross-training.
Effective weight training, not simply the act of lifting weights, is the single best solution to the issue you raised in your question. It helps your riding as well. A recent study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology reported significant results with master cyclists engaged in short-term resistance training.
Note, the exercise (knee, or leg, extension) used in this study is considered by nearly all professionals to be useless. Despite the fact that neither the protocol used (10 sets of 10 reps with 70% of 1RM) nor the duration of the study (three weeks) were appropriate for true strength gains, these master cyclists’ Delta Efficiency (DE, “the most relevant indicator of muscular efficiency in cycling, and thus one of the best determinants of endurance performance”) was significantly increased in masters compared to younger cyclists, where improvement was considered only a trend.
Sitting on a resistance training machine (as listed above) does not impact bone mineral density. Ground-based, multiple joint exercises, such as deadlifts, cleans, and squats have been repeatedly shown to positively impact skeletal health.
Sensible resistance training, applied throughout the year in a periodized manner, will improve skeletal health and improve your cycling performance. It takes only 30-45 minutes, two to three times a week to achieve these goals.
Coach Harvey Newton is a former national and Olympic Team coach for USA Weightlifting. He is an avid road cyclist who raced extensively through the 1980s and is a long-time advisor to USA Cycling on strength training.
I’m barred from high impact exercise due to a very bad low back, two discectomies, osteoarthritis of Facet joints on three levels and the yearly RFA’s that are best for relieving pain without drugs. My pain management Dr says absolutely no weight bearing activities, bending or twisting. He does say I can cycle as much as I want as long as the pain, or lack of it allows. I was in the military and ran almost daily for 10 years, plus military physical training, cycling, MTB racing, snowboarding, SCUBA diving etc… I stayed very active and loved it!
Do you have any suggestions for any low impact way of keeping bone density loss at bay? I’ve heard walking is good but within a couple of miles my back pain rears its ugly head. I’m 53 and have never had an issue with weak or damaged bones. Thank You.
Try Pilates. It can be tailored to your specific body, address strengthening bone density, and help your lower back.
Good luck!
Try using a leg press machine, low reps. Leg extension machine for the quads. I have the same problems as you but Glucosamine chondroitin and MSM work for me and have for >35 years. Diagnosed with severe OA in neck facet joints and severe degenerative disc disease in the Lumbar spine >40 years ago. Chrondomalacia Patella almost 60 years ago from Karate. No surgeries to date. Before the Glucosamine I was in pain getting into a a large Grand Marquis. Now, no problem getting into my Civic Sport Coupe. If anyone tells you to take calcium, run don’t walk. Vitamin K and sunshine D keeps the calcium in the bone and out of the arteries. If you try the glucosamine, it will take 6 to 8 weeks to work and it may not but if it does, try walking again it’s one of the best back exercises.
At 38, I was diagnosed with osteopenia and osteoporosis when my wife’s clinic needed a male to test their new bone density scanner. By the time I was 50, the two scans since show progression, putting my lumbar spine at the same level of an average woman in her early 70’s.
Decades of sweating as a rider and firefighter in Houston’s humid heat were a factor, as well as something not mentioned in the article: I failed to replenish the CALCIUM that excessive sweating leached from my bones. Every athlete should probably take a calcium w/vitamin D supplement as part of their post sweaty training recovery.
Now at 56, my riding is limited to just a few hours per week due to excessive lumbar vertebrae bone loss and the resulting pain. Don’t become me!
Actually calcium supplements have been linked to cardiovascular issues due to build up in the arteries. If the thunder doesn’t get you then the lightning will……
Gen is right. Avoid calcium like the plague. Vitamin K and sunshine D is the trick. Unless of course you want atherosclerosis. YES Sunshine can increase the chances of skin cancer but it reduces ALL cause mortality and you can and should have a dermatologist check your skin as often as your insurance will pay for. 2 X a year is ideal. If COVID didn’t convince you that the medical industrial complexes are not to be trusted, I don’t know what would.
How do you incorporate dead lifts and squats into your life during cycling season? I can only do them off-season in order to continue to ride and climb during the cycling season. I haven’t been able to figure this out.
Good commentary, thanks. Kenneth, obviously follow sound medical advice. A solid background in weight-bearing activities (as mentioned) may keep the big problems at bay. Generally speaking, there may be some exercises that can be done for strengthening the muscles, and not cause problems for the low back. These may not be the most effective strength moves, and their impact on bone mineral density is questionable, but something (leg press, leg curl, leg extension, etc.) is better than nothing.
Gen, REASONABLE in-sesason weight training is available, and helps maintain strength gains from the off-season. Properly designed resistance training programs should not create interference in-season. As with cycling, year-’round resistance training is a matter of manipulating volume and intensity. One cannot serve both masters (or both activities) at the same time, it’s a matter of balance between priorities.
I would just say the all the weight training info provided above is effective for skeletal fitness but just as important for upper body and core muscles. IMO weight training is a plus as we get older.
Gen is right. Avoid calcium like the plague. Vitamin K and sunshine D is the trick. Unless of course you want atherosclerosis. YES Sunshine can increase the chances of skin cancer but it reduces ALL cause mortality and you can and should have a dermatologist check your skin as often as your insurance will pay for. 2 X a year is ideal. If COVID didn’t convince you that the medical industrial complexes are not to be trusted, I don’t know what would.