Deadlifts With Osteoporosis: Start Here

I want you to be able to do this exercise in good form, to build strength, to build mobility, to build bone density. It's called a stiff-legged deadlift and to do it correctly, especially if you're over 50, have low bone density, osteoporosis, or osteopenia, you really want to do it right, so that you can progress safely and effectively.

This advice is taken directly from this video, watch the video or read on for HOW to strength train safely and effectively when you have

Because once you're confident in an exercise like this, we can add a load. We can increase the weight, and we can work on getting stronger. But first we make sure we're able to do it correctly.

So the first thing you do is check what a hip hinge feels like. You sit on a chair, and you sit up tall.

This might seem super easy, but usually when we're sitting in a chair, we're slumped. What we want is to be able to lift ourselves up out of our circumstances and pivot from the hips. If you feel like you can't do that yet, we work on some back strength, some core strength, some hip mobility first, and I'll point you to videos for exactly that.

Once you can hinge from the hips sitting down, we can work with the exercise standing up.

Hands on your hips. Micro-bend your knees. Now think about your hips going back. This is super important, because if you don't think hips back, you start to round over, and when we add weight to this exercise, we want a healthy, long torso.

A nice way to think about it: you're trying to close a door with your bum. Hips push back, then come forward.

Some of us can come over a lot, if we have the mobility. Some of us come over a little bit, if we're tight in the hamstrings or the back, or feeling a little shaky in the core. Both are correct.

What we're going for eventually is a torso that's almost parallel to the floor, not necessarily all the way. Here's how I like to think about it. Standing tall, my head points straight up. Call that 12 o'clock. Five degrees over, one o'clock. Ten degrees over, two o'clock. For a lot of us, two o'clock is where the exercise ends. Some of us will get to three. But don't go all the way to parallel if your back rounds to get there. We'll build that capacity.

Before we add a load, one more check. Put one hand on your belly and one hand on your back, and press gently, just enough to remind yourself to keep that torso long. Then pivot. As you do, think about reaching your chest away from your tailbone, and your hips, super important, going back. Remember the door.

Once you can do that, pick up light weights. And when I say light, I mean super light, because we want to do an exercise competently before we add more weight to it. If you don't have a super light weight, hold a yoga block.

So, light weight in your hands, roll the shoulders back, and pivot over. Here's what to watch: your hips travel back and forward as the weight travels down and up. That's the main focus. Hips go back and forth, weights go up and down.

Once you can do three rounds of 10 to 12 repetitions confidently, you can increase the weight. Say you've done these for a couple of weeks and you're thinking, I can do 10 or 12, what's next? You pick up something heavier, and the same rules apply. Roll your shoulders back, hinge at your hips, come over. In many of our classes we call this a hip hinge, because that's what we're doing. Hinging at the hips. Over the course of your program, as you keep working on your strength and mobility, you'll be able to come over a little bit more, keeping your core strong the whole way.

Strength training is so good for us. It builds strength, mobility, balance, bone density. And the best part: you don't need a million exercises. You need just a few exercises that you do right, and then you get stronger.

Give it a try. You're working up to three rounds of 10 to 12 repetitions. And most of all, as you integrate this exercise, remember: exercise works when you know how to work it.

If you're done guessing and ready for a real plan, start my free 5-day program: https://www.winilinguvic.com/free-strength-training-program

~wini 💛