cWe hear it all the time: “women need to lift heavy”. “Protect your bone density”. “Work to fatigue”.
All of that is true. It’s also not the whole truth.
Most people are looking at how to increase their bone density, but what they really want is to keep their independence after a fall. There’s more than one way of doing this.
The problem with lifting heavy for bone density
If you’ve ever been told to:
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Lift heavier
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Add jumping
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Increase intensity
and your body responded with pain, flare-ups, or hesitation, you’re not alone.
The current evidence does support resistance and impact training for bone health. We know that:
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Resistance training 2–3x per week improves bone density
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Loads of 50–85% of your max strength are effective
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Impact-based loading helps stimulate bone adaptation
But importantly, there’s nuance most people are missing:
Those recommendations assume your body can already tolerate and distribute load well.
If it can’t, then lifting heavy isn’t the solution. It’s the stressor.
What really reduces fracture risk
Fractures don’t happen because of low bone density alone. They happen when force exceeds your ability to absorb it.
That means fracture risk is influenced by:
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Bone strength
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Movement quality
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Reaction speed
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Balance systems
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Your ability to recover from a loss of control
Bone strength is just one item on that list; albeit an important one!
Modern guidelines emphasise that the most effective approach is multi-component training—combining strength, balance, mobility, and functional movement to reduce falls and fractures
So yes—bone density matters. But what matters more is whether your body can handle the unexpected.
Where most people should start
If you’re worried about your risk factor for falls, and your body feels stiff, reactive, or unpredictable, then starting with a heavy load skips the most important step: mobility.
1. Mobility: the gateway to load
Mobility isn’t just stretching. It’s:
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Accessing joint range
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Distributing load across the body
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Reducing “pressure points” where force gets concentrated
Without this, the load doesn’t get shared and is poorly absorbed. This is when pain and injury show up.
2. Foot strength and terrain adaptability
Most falls don’t happen in controlled environments. The risk of a fall increases:
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On uneven ground
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When stepping off curbs
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When reacting to small changes underfoot
Your feet are your first point of contact with the world. If they’re stiff, weak, or disconnected:
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Your brain gets less information
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Your reactions slow down
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Your balance becomes reactive instead of responsive
Pilates works through foot mobility, awareness, and strength.
3. Reactivity: the missing link
This is rarely talked about, but it’s critical. Falls happen fast. Faster than conscious thought. Reactivity training builds:
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Quick muscular response
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Coordination under pressure
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The ability to “catch yourself”
Without it, strength alone won’t stop you from falling. We offer a range of on-demand classes guided by physiotherapists and exercise physiologists that specifically work to increase your reactivity, enabling you to respond more quickly and ultimately decreasing your risk of falling.
4. Balance
Most people think that balance is about your ability to stand on one leg. But there are several things at work when you balance:
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Vision (what you see)
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Vestibular system (inner ear—head movement and orientation)
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Proprioception (body awareness)
If one system is off, your brain compensates. If more than one is off, your fall risk increases significantly.
That’s why effective balance training is layered, progressive, and integrated into movement. Yes, balance training; you can train for this!
Progressing to strength and impact training
After you’re confident in all the above, then yes, strength and impact training—i.e. lifting heavy and jumping—can be a great next step to reducing fall risk.
At this point:
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Resistance training strengthens bone and muscle
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Impact introduces the variability bones need to adapt
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Higher intensity becomes a tool, not a threat
Evidence consistently shows that progressive resistance training and impact exercise improve bone density and reduce falls; but the keyword here is “progressive”. Not jumping into the deep end loaded up with 50kg of barbell.
A better way to think about bone health and density
Instead of asking “how do I increase my bone density?”, try asking:
“How do I build a body that can confidently absorb force, adapt quickly, and recover when things don’t go to plan?”
Because that’s what actually improves fall risk and prevents fractures.
And this is where reformer Pilates comes in. And not just because it’s “low impact” (although it is that as well!). With the right guidance, reformer Pilates can build mobility, reactions, and balance. It’s one of the most effective starting points because it builds the prerequisites that make strength and impact safe.
The bottom line
If you’re trying to increase bone density or reduce your fall risk, jumping straight into heavy lifting is skipping a few steps.
Let’s start by building a body that can:
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Access movement
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Control load
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Respond quickly
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Trust itself under pressure
That’s what reformer Pilates does.
Explore our range of reformers today, or check out our On Demand offering containing over 500 Pilates classes, including programmes specifically for people working on balance, strength, and reactions.