Hi guys!
I came here to get some advice on my training program. I’m a 26 year old male who’s recently been diagnosed with osteopenia. As far as I understand, powerlifting is more beneficial to bone density than bodybuilding. I’ve been following Renaissance Periodization’s 4 Day Male Physique Template specializing in arms and shoulders with great results. My goal is purely hypertrophy for my upper body. But in light of my diagnosis, I’d like to figure out how to incorporate powerlifting squats + deadlifts to my 4 days of upper body training.
My idea is to replace 2 of my 4 upper body training days with 2 leg days out of a Barbell Medicine powerlifting training template.
Which template would best suit my goals?
Thanks!
BTTB,
Thanks for the post. As you know, it is very unusual for a young man to have osteopenia. Barring treating/managing any underlying condition that has caused this, I actually don’t think a strength-focused training plan is likely to improve bone mineral density MORE as compared to a well-programmed hypertrophy-focused training plan. I can’t speak to the particular template you mentioned, but provided it includes compound exercises that load the skeleton regularly, I would expect a good stimulus for bone growth.
If you were looking for a BBM template that focused on hypertrophy, but still loaded the skeleton in the way discussed above, I’d be looking at the hypertrophy I or II. Your plan could work though too!
-Jordan
The study you linked showed that BMD values were highest in football players and MMA athletes than recreational lifters, but the recreational lifters were still very high. Still, this doesn’t show what type of exercise or activity increases BMD the most, rather what correlates with a higher BMD. Lots of potential inputs there including age, size, sex, and other differences for the activities listed.
The quote your provided is actually in relationship to a separate study from 1998, linked here: Effects of high-intensity resistance training on bone mineral density in young male powerlifters - PubMed
In that study, the powerlifters were an average of 5kg heavier and trained FOUR TIMES as much per week as the control group (recreational lifters) at a minimum. Makes sense to me that those who lift more often are likely to generate more of a response, though I don’t think there’s much of a difference between the type of lifting provided it loads the skeleton and uses an intensity, rep range, etc. that gets the individual close to failure.
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BTTB,
Sorry for the confusion. I was hopeful my reply would give you more options instead of more questions. A few things here:
- I suspect - but cannot prove- that ground-based exercises where you’re standing likely drive increases in BMD more than machine-based exercises that also load the skeleton, but are not ground based. That said, I don’t know that a free weight squat is > a smith machine squat for this purpose. I’d be looking at some type(s) of squat, hinge, and press patterns that fulfill this criteria.
- I think all rep ranges from 1 to ~ 20 are likely to increase BMD, though my inclination would be that 1 to 12 reps would be best.
- I do not think you should do powerlifting-specific training if you’re not going to compete, unless that is the training style you prefer.
- With respect to hypertrophy, I think you’re in a bit of a tough spot, as you’ll need enough volume of work at a heavy enough load to drive BMD improvements and that is likely to drive some hypertrophy. Still, muscle growth takes quite awhile and I would not expect rapid, large increases in leg size regardless of the training program. This is particularly true if you are not in a large surplus, aren’t new to training, etc.
- I also think the medical workup needs to be completed to look at underlying causes that can also be modified.
You may benefit from a consultation if you have further questions specific to your situation. Happy to help!
-Jordan