GST and cycling related osteopenia

Hi - a slightly random post...

I am a keen mountain biker.  One of the risks of doing a lot of cycling / cycling training is osteopenia due to the non-weight bearing / non impact (unless you fall off, but that seems to break bones, not strengthen them  ) nature of cycling.

The solution is to do some form of weight bearing exercise - would GST prove beneficial against cycling related osteopenia - or must I go and do deadlifts/squats/presses?

@Mark Collins @Wesley Tan?

Regards

Dave

Hi David generally work under gravity condition prevents some degeneration in both bones and muscles. so yes, the production of GH and IGF-1 factors due to resistance training tends to reduce the rate of tissues e degeneration.

5 minutes ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Hi David generally work under gravity condition prevents some degeneration in both bones and muscles. so yes, the production of GH and IGF-1 factors due to resistance training tends to reduce the rate of tissues e degeneration.

Thanks Alessandro.  Do you think GST would be enough?  Or do I need to be thinking of supplementing GST with explicit weight bearing exercises e.g. deadlifts etc

Nope DAvid, my suggestion and this is what i've learned from Coach in many years it is that people do not need heavy squat or deadlift if they cannot perform a 5x5 on single leg squat. so go for bodyweight work first.

Thanks Alessandro, I was hoping you would say that 

Regards

Dave

I agree with Alessandro, you don't necessarily need to weight train to impact bone density.

The two studies below demonstrate improved bone density benefits in retired female gymnasts.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22714629

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19453258

Although these participants were gymnasts as youngsters, the same physiology governing bone density is still present in adults, although metabolic rates do change with age.

Besides bone density however, I would be more concerned with maintaining your "natural" range of movements being that you are an avid cyclist, albeit mountain biking.

I have quite a few elderly patients, whose main activity has been cycling. What they all have in common in GREATLY reduced neck mobility (scarily poor) as well as thoracic spine mobility, from years and thousands of miles of a sustained poor posture that has become ingrained.

Thanks Wesley.

I will bear in mind the neck/thoracic spine mobility issues.  I've not noticed them as an issue, but given that when I'm not riding a bike I'm riding a desk, the likelihood is there.  I have found the shoulder girdle mobility stuff from Fundamentals to be an enormous help tho.

I suspect my first form checks will tell me a fair amount.

Thanks for the response...

Regards

Dave

Edit: The gains given in those studies are not trivial.  I wonder how much is due to adaption to impact as opposed to weight/muscle loading?