136: Beyond "Just Lift Heavy": The Science behind Osteoporosis, Falls & Fracture Prevention with Dr. Lora Giangregorio, PhD Video
Movement Logic: Strong Opinions, Loosely HeldShow Notes
In this episode, we talk with bone health researcher Dr. Lora Giangregorio about what the evidence really says about resistance training, impact exercise, menopause, fracture prevention, balance, and falls. We also get into claims from OsteoStrong, why not all published research deserves equal weight, and why confident claims about the "best" way to build bone often outrun the evidence.
We discuss why bone loss around menopause can't simply be blamed on inactivity, what we do and don't know about heavy versus moderate versus light resistance training, why strength and impact are so difficult to separate in bone research, and why improving bone density is only one part of reducing fracture risk.
Dr. Giangregorio also explains why getting better at standing on one leg isn't necessarily the same thing as becoming less likely to fall, why yoga wouldn't be her first choice for fall prevention, how to progress impact training without jumping straight into high-force exercises, and why real-world exercise programs need to adapt to the person rather than force everyone into the same supposedly "optimal" program.
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RESOURCES
Dr. Lora Giangregorio's website [https://boneslab.ca/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/giangregoriolora/]
Bones Lab YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@boneslab]
Her approach to starting and progressing impact training [https://www.instagram.com/p/Da1OAI_Dkz3/?igsh=M2diODI5bDNkaDE5&img_index=9]
Her summary of different aspects of balance [https://www.instagram.com/p/DbVtFhQDW8v/?img_index=3&igsh=MWgxNGN3bTExZHl1OQ%3D%3D]
Blog post on impact training [https://boneslab.ca/blog/do-you-need-impact-exercise-for-strong-bones]
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