RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Exercises

Weight-bearing exercises for osteoporosis: walking, squats, steps and lifts

Published October 29, 2026

The best weight-bearing exercises for osteoporosis combine time on your feet with lifting: brisk walking or a stair machine on most days, plus goblet squats, step-ups, calf raises, the kettlebell deadlift with a flat back, back extensions lying face down, rows, wall or counter push-ups, a seated shoulder press and the farmer's walk, 2 or 3 days a week. Bone responds to load it is not used to, so start light, keep your spine long instead of rounding forward, and add weight steadily until sets of 8 to 12 feel hard.

  1. Brisk Walk Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves
  2. Goblet Squat Quads, Glutes
  3. Step-Up Quads, Glutes
  4. Kettlebell Deadlift Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back
  5. Back Extension Lower Back
  6. Seated Cable Row Upper Back, Lats
  7. Farmer's Walk Forearms, Traps, Shoulders

Weight-bearing cardio

Anything you do on your feet makes your legs and hips carry your body weight, step after step. Brisk walking is the base, 30 minutes on most days. The stair machine raises the load on the hips with every step without the jarring of running.

Legs and hips, weight-bearing cardio

Brisk Walk

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves

Walking at a pace that raises your breathing loads your legs, hips and spine with your own body weight thousands of times a session. It is the easiest weight-bearing exercise to do every day, and it pairs with the strength work rather than replacing it.

How to do it

  1. Walk at a pace a little faster than your normal stride.
  2. Let your arms swing from the shoulders and stand tall.
  3. Keep going until you feel warm and your breathing has picked up a little.

Cues

  • Tall posture
  • Arms swing freely

Common mistakes

  • Slouching over a phone while you walk: the arm swing is what loosens your upper back.

Swap for: Treadmill Walk, Stationary Bike, Elliptical

Build a session with Brisk Walk
Log it in RIRLift

Quads, glutes and calves, climbing cardio

Stair Climber

Quads, Glutes, Calves

Every step lifts your whole body up, which loads the hips more than flat walking. The rails give you something to hold for balance, and you set the speed. Ten to fifteen minutes is a good start.

How to do it

  1. Step on the machine, hold the rails lightly for balance only, and start at an easy speed.
  2. Stand tall and place your whole foot on each step.
  3. Raise the speed until you breathe hard but can still say a short sentence.
  4. Keep that pace for the planned time, then slow down for a couple of minutes before stepping off.

Cues

  • Whole foot on each step
  • Hands just for balance
  • Steady breathing

Common mistakes

  • Leaning on the rails with locked arms: that takes the work away from your legs.
  • Climbing on your toes only: let the heel land on each step.

Swap for: Step-Up, Treadmill Walk, Stationary Bike

Build a session with Stair Climber
Log it in RIRLift

Squats, steps and calf raises for the hips and legs

Your hips take your weight every time you step or stand up, and they are loaded by the big leg muscles that attach around them. Squats and step-ups pull hard on the thigh bone and pelvis, the leg press lets you use heavier weights while seated, and calf raises load the shin and ankle.

Quads and glutes, squat

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

A squat loads the hips, thigh bones and spine together, and holding the dumbbell at your chest keeps your back upright instead of letting it fold forward. Squat to a chair or bench at first so the depth is always the same.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest.
  2. Sit down between your knees, elbows inside them at the bottom.
  3. Stand up tall.

Cues

  • Elbows nudge the knees out at the bottom.
  • Chest stays up behind the weight.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the weight pull you forward.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Barbell Back Squat

Build a session with Goblet Squat
Log it in RIRLift

Quads and glutes, one leg at a time

Step-Up

Quads, Glutes

Standing up onto a step with one leg puts your full body weight through one hip, which is a bigger load than walking on the flat. Hold a rail or wall, and add dumbbells once the movement feels steady.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing the bench with two dumbbells.
  2. Place one whole foot on the bench.
  3. Lean forward a little and push through the top foot to stand up on the bench.
  4. Bring the other foot up only to touch, then lower it back to the floor.
  5. Finish all reps on one leg before switching.

Cues

  • Whole foot on the bench
  • Push through the top heel
  • Lower slowly, do not drop

Common mistakes

  • Pushing off the floor with the back foot: that halves the work. Keep the trailing foot light.
  • Using a bench so high that your knee is far above your hip: you will rock instead of step.

Swap for: Barbell Step-Up

Build a session with Step-Up
Log it in RIRLift

Quads and glutes, seated press

Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

The machine lets you push heavier weights with your legs than you could hold standing, while your back stays supported. It is the gym exercise to grow leg strength quickly while you are still learning the standing lifts.

How to do it

  1. Sit in the machine with your whole back against the pad and your feet hip-width on the platform.
  2. Release the safety handles and bend your knees, bringing the platform toward you under control.
  3. Lower until your knees are bent to about 90 degrees or a little deeper, without your lower back curling off the pad.
  4. Press the platform away until your legs are nearly straight, and repeat.

Cues

  • Lower back stays on the pad
  • Whole foot pushes
  • Stop just short of locking out

Common mistakes

  • Going so deep that your hips roll up off the seat: stop where your back stays flat.
  • Snapping the knees straight at the top: keep a soft bend.

Swap for: 45-Degree Leg Press, Hack Squat, Barbell Back Squat

Build a session with Leg Press
Log it in RIRLift

Calves, rising onto the toes

Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise

Calves

Rising onto your toes with dumbbells in your hands loads the bones of the feet, ankles and shins. Do it on a step beside a rail so you can hold on and still move through the full range.

How to do it

  1. With a dumbbell hanging from each hand, put the balls of both feet on a step or two stacked books, hip-width apart.
  2. Let your heels sink below the step until the calves are fully stretched, and pause.
  3. Press up onto your toes as high as you can with straight knees, and hold the top briefly.
  4. Lower slowly back into the stretch and repeat.

Cues

  • Tall body, straight knees
  • Slow down, quick up
  • Weight over the big toes

Common mistakes

  • Cutting the bottom short because the step feels unstable: use a wider step or touch the wall with a fingertip.
  • Bending the knees to help at the end of a set: that turns it into a little jump and stops loading the calf.

Swap for: Single-Leg Calf Raise, Kettlebell Calf Raise

Build a session with Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise
Log it in RIRLift

Lifting with a straight back, and back extensions

The muscles along your spine load the vertebrae when they work, and they hold you upright. The kettlebell deadlift trains them while you keep your back flat and long, hinging at the hips rather than rounding forward. The back extension lifts your chest from the floor and strengthens the same muscles with no weight at all.

Glutes, hamstrings and spine, flat-back lift

Kettlebell Deadlift

Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back

Lowering a kettlebell beside your leg and standing back up with a flat back strengthens the hips and the long muscles of the spine together, and holding it on one side makes your trunk work to stay level. The key is the hinge: hips go back, chest stays proud, and the spine does not round. Start with 10 to 20 pounds.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, the bell in one hand at your side and that arm straight.
  2. Push your hips back and bend your knees a little, letting the bell travel down beside your leg until it nearly reaches the floor, back flat.
  3. Keep your shoulders level and your chest facing forward as the bell lowers.
  4. Stand up by driving through your feet and squeezing your glutes. Finish the set, then switch hands. With two bells, hold one at each side.

Cues

  • Hips back, chest up
  • Bell close to your leg
  • Stand tall at the top

Common mistakes

  • Squatting straight down so the knees do all the work: lead with the hips.
  • Letting your back round to reach lower: stop the bell where your back is still flat.

Swap for: Kettlebell Good Morning, Kettlebell Swing, Kettlebell Row

Build a session with Kettlebell Deadlift
Log it in RIRLift

Spinal muscles, lying back extension

Back Extension

Lower Back

Lying face down and lifting your chest a few inches strengthens the muscles that hold your spine upright and resist rounding forward. It needs no equipment and puts no weight on your joints, so it suits every plan on this page.

How to do it

  1. Lie face down with your hands behind your head and elbows out.
  2. Squeeze your glutes and lift your chest off the floor while your legs stay down.
  3. Lower slowly back to the floor.

Cues

  • Lift the chest, not the chin
  • Legs stay heavy

Common mistakes

  • Jerking up fast: lift and lower at the same steady speed.

Swap for: Superman, 45-Degree Back Extension, Band Good Morning

Build a session with Back Extension
Log it in RIRLift

Rows and presses for the spine, shoulders and wrists

Walking does not load the wrist or upper spine. Pushing and pulling do: the counter push-up puts weight through your hands, the seated row works the muscles that keep your upper back straight, and the shoulder press loads the arms and spine from above.

Chest, shoulders and wrists, push-up on a counter

Incline Push-Up

Chest

Leaning on a counter and pushing away puts part of your body weight through your wrists and arms, a place walking never loads. Start at counter height and lower the surface over the months.

How to do it

  1. Put your hands on a bench, box or counter, a little wider than shoulder width.
  2. Walk your feet back until your body is a straight line from head to heels.
  3. Lower your chest to the edge, elbows angled about 45 degrees from your sides.
  4. Press back up until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Body like a plank
  • Elbows at about 45 degrees
  • Higher surface, easier rep

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging toward the floor: squeeze your glutes and brace as if you were about to be poked in the stomach.
  • Flaring the elbows straight out: tuck them back at about 45 degrees.

Swap for: Kneeling Push-Up, Close-Grip Push-Up, Bench Dip

Build a session with Incline Push-Up
Log it in RIRLift

Upper back, seated row

Seated Cable Row

Upper Back, Lats

Pulling a handle to your stomach while sitting tall trains the upper-back muscles that keep your shoulders back and your upper spine straight. The seat supports you, so you can focus on squeezing the shoulder blades together.

How to do it

  1. Sit at the cable row with your feet on the platform and knees slightly bent, holding a close-grip handle with your arms straight.
  2. Sit tall with your chest up and let the cable pull your shoulder blades forward a little.
  3. Row the handle to your lower ribs, driving your elbows back past your torso.
  4. Return it under control until your arms are straight and your shoulders reach forward, then repeat.

Cues

  • Sit tall, no rocking
  • Handle to the belly button
  • Shoulders reach at the front

Common mistakes

  • Rocking back and forth to move the stack: your torso should stay close to upright throughout.
  • Shrugging the handle up toward your neck: pull your shoulders down before the elbows bend.

Swap for: Chest-Supported Row, Single-Arm Cable Row, Barbell Row

Build a session with Seated Cable Row
Log it in RIRLift

Shoulders and arms, seated press

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Shoulders

Pressing dumbbells overhead while seated against a backrest loads the arms and shoulders and asks the spine to stay tall under weight. Use light dumbbells and press to a height that feels comfortable.

How to do it

  1. Set a bench upright or one notch back from vertical, sit with your feet flat, and rest a dumbbell on each thigh.
  2. Kick one knee up at a time to bring the dumbbells to shoulder height, then set your back against the pad.
  3. Turn your elbows slightly forward so they sit a little in front of your torso, palms facing forward or angled in.
  4. Drive both weights overhead on a slight inward arc until your elbows are straight, keeping your ribs down and your back on the pad.
  5. Lower slowly until the dumbbells are around ear height or a bit below, then press again.

Cues

  • Ribs down, back on the pad
  • Elbows a little forward
  • Press up and slightly in

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back off the pad to finish reps: that turns it into an incline press, so lighten the weight and keep your ribs stacked over your hips.
  • Flaring the elbows straight out at shoulder height: bring them a little forward so the shoulder joint stays comfortable at the bottom.
  • Stopping each rep well above your ears: lower to around ear height so the delts work through a full range.

Swap for: Machine Shoulder Press, Band Overhead Press, Landmine Press

Build a session with Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Log it in RIRLift

Carrying

The farmer's walk adds weight to walking: your grip, arms, spine and legs all carry the load while you stand tall. It turns a daily task into a training load you can increase.

Grip, spine and legs, loaded carry

Farmer's Walk

Forearms, Traps, Shoulders

Walking with a dumbbell in each hand loads your spine and legs with more than your body weight while you stay upright, and it trains the grip too. Start with 10 to 15 pounds per hand on a flat, clear path.

How to do it

  1. Pick up two heavy dumbbells with your back flat.
  2. Stand tall with your ribs down and walk with short, quick steps.
  3. Set the weights down with a flat back when the time or distance is up.

Cues

  • Ribs down
  • Crush the handles
  • Quick steps

Common mistakes

  • Letting the shoulders round forward.
  • Walking so slowly the dumbbells start to swing.

Swap for: Dumbbell Suitcase Carry, Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead Carry

Build a session with Farmer's Walk
Log it in RIRLift

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Starting at home after a bone density scan

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets22 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench, Hyperextension

Your bone density scan came back low, you have a pair of light dumbbells, a chair and a stair at home, and you want to start loading your bones now.

One strength routine twice a week, 6 exercises and 11 sets, plus walking on most days. Every set stops at 3 reps in reserve for the first month, because your joints and muscles need time to adjust before the loads go up. The routine hits the hips, spine and wrists in every session.

Bone Strength A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Brisk Walk10 minutes, warm-up pace that raises your breathing. 1 × 1 3 1 min
Goblet Squat1 warm-up set firstSquat to a chair seat, chest up. 2 × 8–12 3 90 s
Step-UpPer leg. Bottom stair, hand on the rail. 2 × 8–12 3 90 s
Back ExtensionLift the chest a few inches only. 2 × 8–12 3 1 min
Incline Push-UpHands on the kitchen counter. 2 × 8–12 3 90 s
Dumbbell Standing Calf RaiseOn a stair, holding the rail. 2 × 10–15 3 1 min
How to run it
Do the routine twice a week, for example Tuesday and Friday. Walk briskly for 30 minutes on most other days; the 10-minute walk in the routine is your warm-up.
How to progress
For the first 4 weeks add reps only. After that, when every set reaches the top of its range, add the next dumbbell size and drop to 2 reps in reserve. Bone responds to loads that rise over time, so keep adding a little.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

A gym, ready to lift heavier

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets22 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentLeg Press, Cable Row, Dumbbells, Stair Climber +2

You have trained for a while or finished the home plan, you go to a gym twice a week, and you want the loads on your hips and spine to keep rising.

Two sessions with 11 sets each, built around the leg press and kettlebell deadlift for the hips and the row and press for the upper body. Reps drop to 6 to 10 at 2 reps in reserve, because heavier loads place more strain on bone than many light reps do. The stair machine adds weight-bearing cardio at the end.

Day A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Leg PressBack flat on the pad. 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Seated Cable RowSit tall, squeeze the shoulder blades. 3 × 8–10 2 2 min
Dumbbell Shoulder PressSeated against an upright bench. 2 × 8–10 2 2 min
Dumbbell Standing Calf RaiseOn a step beside a rail. 2 × 10–15 2 1 min
Stair Climber10 minutes at a pace you can still talk in. 1 × 1 3 1 min

Open Day A in the session builder

Day B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Kettlebell Deadlift2 warm-up sets firstPer arm. Hips back, back flat. Stop where your back is still flat. 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Goblet SquatBench behind you as a depth target. 3 × 8–10 2 2 min
Back ExtensionPause 2 s at the top. 2 × 10–12 2 1 min
Farmer's WalkWalk 30 meters, heavy enough that grip is the limit. 3 × 1 2 2 min

Open Day B in the session builder

How to run it
Day A and Day B on two non-consecutive days. Warm up with 5 minutes of walking and a light set of the first lift.
How to progress
Double progression: when every set reaches 10 reps at 2 reps in reserve, add the smallest weight step and work back up from 6. Expect to add weight every one to two weeks in the first months.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Worried about balance or falling

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets27 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench, Hyperextension

Your bones are the reason you are training, but you also feel less steady than you used to, and you want every exercise to have something to hold on to.

Five exercises that load the legs, spine and wrists with support in reach at all times: step-ups and calf raises holding a rail, back extensions lying down, and counter push-ups. Nine sets per session, 3 times a week, at 3 reps in reserve, because practicing standing exercises often builds steadiness alongside strength.

Steady Bones
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Brisk Walk10 minutes indoors or on a flat path. 1 × 1 3 1 min
Step-UpPer leg. Low step, both hands on the rail if needed. 2 × 6–10 3 90 s
Dumbbell Standing Calf RaiseBodyweight first, holding the rail. 2 × 10–15 3 1 min
Back ExtensionLift the chest a few inches. 2 × 8–12 3 1 min
Incline Push-UpHands on a counter. 2 × 8–12 3 90 s
How to run it
Do it three times a week, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with a short walk on the same days. Stand beside a counter or rail for every standing exercise.
How to progress
Add reps each week. When step-ups reach 12 per leg, hold one light dumbbell in the free hand. When you feel steady, add the goblet squat from the home plan.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What are 5 exercises that increase bone density?

Squats, deadlifts with a flat back, step-ups, overhead presses and loaded carries, done with weights that make 8 to 12 reps hard. Add brisk walking or stair climbing on most days.

What are the best exercises for people with osteoporosis?

Weight-bearing cardio such as brisk walking and stair climbing, plus strength exercises that keep your spine long: goblet squats, step-ups, calf raises, the kettlebell deadlift, lying back extensions, rows, counter push-ups and the farmer's walk. Train strength 2 or 3 days a week.

Which exercises should you avoid with osteoporosis?

Exercises that round your spine forward under load or twist it hard, such as sit-ups, crunches, toe touches and heavy twisting. High-impact jumping is often avoided once a bone has broken. The exercises on this page keep your spine long and are scaled by load, not by bending further.

Is walking a weight-bearing exercise for osteoporosis?

Yes. Walking loads your legs, hips and spine with your body weight. It is a good base but a light load, and it does not reach your wrists or upper body, so pair it with strength training twice a week.

How fast can strength training increase bone density?

Slowly. Bone changes over months, not weeks, so give it 6 to 12 months of training 2 or 3 times a week before you judge it. Muscle strength rises much sooner, usually within the first month.