THREE YEARS AGO, at 52, Tina Tang could deadlift 310 pounds without blinking and squat 210 like it was part of her warm-up. She had discovered powerlifting in her early 40s, and by all appearances, she was the picture of strength. So when her annual physical revealed osteopenia—low bone density—she was stunned.
As a coach who trains women over 40, Tang believed she was doing everything right for her bones: lifting heavy, paying close attention to her form, eating enough protein to support muscle maintenance and growth. But one critical piece of the bone-health puzzle was missing from her routine, she would come to figure out: plyometrics. Many women, particularly those over 40, have been told (or assume) that jumping is off-limits as they age.
The truth: For most otherwise healthy women, plyometrics—and jumping and weight-bearing impact exercises more broadly—are among the most effective ways to protect bone health long term, says Dr. And beyond just helping prevent bone loss, plyometric training can actually help reverse declines, emerging data suggests. A recent review published in Current Osteoporosis Reports found plyometrics are among the most effective tools for improving bone density and reducing fracture risk in post-menopausal women.
Meanwhile, a 2025 review in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders found that when already-active people added plyometrics to their routine, they saw promising improvements in bone mineral density at the spine and hip. Tang is living proof of these findings. At 54 years old, and just two years after adding plyometrics to her workout routine, Tang got a follow-up DEXA scan (the gold-standard test for assessing bone density) that revealed measurable improvements, including in her right hip, the area that had taken the biggest hit, per her initial scan.
Once you develop osteoporosis or osteopenia, only a small percentage of people can regain density. So even though plyometrics may have gotten a bad rap among the 40-plus crowd, that reputation is rooted in nothing more than outdated pseudoscience and fear-mongering. These explosive, higher-impact exercises deliver the exact type of loading that spurs bone growth, development, and increased density.
In sum, stronger bones, better balance, faster reaction time, and a body that’s more resilient as you age are just a skip, hop, and (broad) jump away. Here's what to know—and what to do. Often described as explosive or powerful, plyometrics are more impactful than traditional weight-bearing or high-impact exercises by design.
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