Multi-Directional Jumps for Bone Strength

In this Article (Index)

Jump to toughen your bones.

• Bone Loses Density as You Age
• Multi-directional Jumps
• How to Jump

Bone Loses Density as You Age

Bones lose density (bone mineral density or BMD) as you age and become brittle and prone to break and fracture.
There are many reasons for this, including hormonal changes due to menopause in women and loss of testosterone in aging men, sedentary lifestyle, and diets that don't include calcium, vitamin D, minerals, and dairy products.

Research has shown that bone responds favorably to unusual or unfamiliar mechanical stress and is stimulated to develop, grow, and become stronger in the areas subjected to these forces.

People who play tennis, basketball, or volleyball, and sports where the bones bear weight with diverse dynamic forces and loading (jumping, direction changes, and torsion) have a greater bone mass at the sites that bear these loads compared to those who take part in low-impact sports or non-weight-bearing physical activity.

Bone reacts to unusual stresses

Bone is moved to adapt when it is subjected to atypical stresses. Stress induces bone growth, or "osteogenesis". But the stress should be a new, atypical strain on the bone, not the usual day-to-day forces caused by jogging, cycling, swimming, or walking.

Bones become accustomed to these regular, "known" strains. What is needed are strains that the bone is not accustomed to such as multi-directional jumping. This activity will prod the bone to increase its strength. (2)

A different type of physical activity is needed, and this is where moderate to high-impact multidirectional jump landings are useful to promote bone growth in areas subjected to unusual strain and enhance bone mineral density or BMD.

Multi-directional Jumps

Jumping is a great way to put your bones under unusual strain and stress. In this section, we will mention some studies that have investigated the effect of jumping on bone density (a measure of its strength).

A 202 study (3) confirmed that exercises involving hopping and jumping increase bone mass and help reduce bone loss. It reported that short jumping sessions (10 to 100 jumps per day, 3 to 7 days per week) can increase bone mineral density or BMD in the femoral neck region between 0.5 and 3%.

The exercise involved in this study had women flex their hips and knees slightly and jump quickly upwards, landing with flat feet. Participants were cued to land with minimal flexion on one leg. They were instructed to swing their arms "in a countermovement style" to provide momentum. After landing, they stood still for 5 seconds, and then, after a rest of 30 seconds, jumped again. The study found that these "multidirectional hop-landings... easily exceeded osteogenic thresholds previously shown to increase bone mass," meaning that the stress applied to the bone was more than enough to promote osteogenesis.

A 2015 randomized trial (1) investigated the effect of jumping on hip BMD on 60 premenopausal women, aged 25 to 50 years. They were split into a control group that didn't jump, while one group performed 10 jumps, as high as possible, landing on a hard surface covered with a carpet. They took a 30-second rest period between jumps, and jumped barefoot, twice a day over 4 months. Another group jumped 20 with the same regime.

The "differences between the Jump 10 and the Jump 20 groups compared with controls were significant." The hip BMD improved in both jumping groups.

Will Jumping Hurt Your Knees?

Although high-impact exercise promotes bone strength, older people may have concerns about the effects of jumping on their joints. A 2020 study (4) investigated how jumping exercises impacted joint health.

It followed 42 women aged 55-70 for 6 months as they followed a high-impact multidirectional hops regime landing one "exercise leg", which was assigned randomly. Their other leg was the "control leg" and wasn't subjected to strain or stress.

The study showed that the "exercise leg" improved its bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), and section modulus (Z) by (+0.81%, +0.69%, and + 3.18%, respectively) while the "control leg" decreased those same values by -0.57%, -0.71%, and -0.75% respectively. Regarding osteoarthritis (OA) biomarkers, the authors concluded that "a high-impact exercise intervention that requires little time, cost, or specialist equipment improved femoral neck BMD with no negative effects on knee OA imaging biomarkers. Unilateral high-impact exercise is a feasible intervention to reduce hip fracture risk in healthy postmenopausal women."

How to Jump

There are different methods and techniques. No special equipment is necessary. You can mark a line with tape on the floor to jump over it or place a small object on the floor like a pencil or a pocketbook. The larger the object, the longer you jump.

One study reported multidirectional jumps using 15 jumps in four sets. The participants had to focus on a bursting, quick takeoff, and a soft landing with flexed ankles and knees, avoiding heel strikes. They used closed-leg jumps, lifting off and landing with both feet. (5)

The multidirectional jumps sequence consists of forward-backward jumps and lateral jumps.

Lateral Jumps

Stand with your feet hip-width apart to the left of a line or object on the floor (red cylinder in the image below) ①.
Bend your knees slightly and jump with both feet together, sideways over the object from your current position (A) to the landing spot (B). You can use your arms to provide lift momentum. ②
Land with flat feet and soft knees in (B) ③.

Rest for a few seconds and repeat the sequence to jump back from (B) to (A) ④ over the object ⑤ and landing in (A) again ⑥. This completes the first two jumps of the sequence. Jump 15 times in 2 sets to complete 30 jumps in total. Then proceed to the Back-and-Forth jumps.

Back-and-Forth Jumps

The sequence is the same as for lateral jumps, but in this case, you jump in a burst from (A) to (B) ① forward over an object on the floor ②, landing in (B) ③. Then you continue to jump, but backward from (B) to (A).

Jump 15 times in 2 sets to complete 30 jumps in total.

The U.S. Surgeon General (6) stated in 2004 that "a simple, 10-minute program of physical activity that incorporates 50 3-inch (8-centimeter) jumps per day... can help enhance bone health."
The exercise sequence described above exceeds this requirement.