Jump training isn’t just for athletes — it’s a crucial exercise for women of all ages to build bone mineral density, prevent falls, and protect against injury. In this episode, we dive into why jump training should be an essential part of your exercise handbag, especially for women.

We cover:

• Why women are at higher risk for bone loss and osteoporosis
• How jump training improves bone mineral density (BMD) in adolescents, premenopausal, and postmenopausal women
• How oral contraceptives can affect peak bone mass and how jump training helps
• Different types of jump training for all fitness levels: squat jumps, split jumps, box jumps, lateral hops, and more
• How to safely progress your jump training program for strength, tendon health, and fall prevention

Whether you’re a runner, Pilates lover, yoga sculpt fan, or home workout queen, jump training can be adapted to fit your style — and it’s one of the most effective ways to protect your bones, joints, and overall musculoskeletal health.

Perfect for: women’s fitness, jump training for women, bone health, osteoporosis prevention, plyometrics, exercise for longevity, and women’s strength training.

Tune in to learn how to safely add jump training to your weekly routine and take your exercise handbag to the next level!

Research mentioned:

Jump Training in premenopausal women:

https://www.medsciencegroup.us/articles/ASMP-7-114.php 

The benefits of jump-training in girls taking oral contraceptives:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640414.2015.1048520 

The benefits of jump training for pre-menopausal women: 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-014-0220-8 

The benefits of jump training for college women:

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00666.2005 

On adolescent girls:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kara-Witzke/publication/271519902_Effects_of_plyometric_jump_training_on_bone_mass_in_adolescent_girl/links/59dc2935aca2728e20183ddb/Effects-of-plyometric-jump-training-on-bone-mass-in-adolescent-girl.pdf 

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00:00- 00:50 Intro

00:51- 01:31 Introduction to Exercise Handbag Essentials

01:32- 02:24 Understanding Jump Training

02:25- 05:45 Physiology and Bone Health

05:46- 09:08 Implementing Jump Training Safely

09:09- 09:32 Ad Break

09:33- 10:32 Benefits of Jump Training

10:33- 15:12 Practical Tips for Jump Training

15:13- 17:18 Conclusion and Next Steps

This next essential that you should

have in your exercise handbag is

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definitely one you don't hear as

often, but it's super important as

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women to include this essential in

your exercise handbag, no matter the

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style of handbag that you prefer.

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So let's dive in.

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Welcome back to Wellness, fix the Pod.

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I'm your host, Dr.

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Kelsey Vic, a board certified

orthopedic doctor, physical therapy,

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and a pelvic floor physical therapist.

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and throughout the month of

September, we are diving into what

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I'm calling the exercise handbag.

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We all have different styles of

handbags that we like, but usually

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the essentials stay the same.

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The same can be said about

our exercise routines.

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No matter if you like Pilates or bar

or strength training or running, the

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foundations across the board should be

the same, especially for us as women.

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So last week we covered high intensity

interval training and sprint interval

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training, and then this week we will

cover the often forgotten jump training.

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And you might be thinking,

jump training Kelsey.

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What even is jump training?

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It's as simple as it sounds really.

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It's jumping, it's loading your

body, your musculoskeletal system

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with extra than your body weight

with more ballistic movements that.

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Increase the amount of load that you're

placing on your musculoskeletal structure,

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your joints, your muscles, your bones,

your ligaments, your tendons, all of it.

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It is all affected in a beneficial way

with jump training and is especially

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important for us to include as women.

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So a little backstory that we've

mentioned on the podcast before,

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but if it's your first time joining

us, I wanna make sure that we have

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A little bit of a physiology lesson for

when we start to talk about some of the

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benefits of jump training on our system.

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so as we age, no matter if you're

male or female, we start to lose bone

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mineral density as we age, where bone

breakdown, outpaces bone formation.

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And this is especially

the case with women.

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Women are at a higher risk for

developing osteopenia, which is basically

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weaker bones, and the prerequisite

or the one that comes before.

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Osteoporosis, which is a lot of the

time what you hear about in older

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individuals and what increases the

likelihood of fractures within the bone.

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So osteoporosis is the more advanced

stage of that bone breakdown that

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starts to be extra concerning.

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And as women, we have a higher

risk of developing both.

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So it's this.

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Imbalance, let's say that we're

constantly fighting against as we age,

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oftentimes after the age of about 30.

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It happens pretty young where

we start to see some of the

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slowdown of that bone formation.

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And this process affects

women more than men.

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So it's super duper important for us as

women to load those bones And provide

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sufficient stimulus to our bones so that

we can build bone in our younger years,

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our adolescent and young adult years.

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And then also work against the

natural physiologic process

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of bone breakdown as we age.

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And there are studies that show through

purposeful stimulus, whether that is

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jump training or another essential in

our handbag that we'll talk about later

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in the month, we can actually work to

combat some of that bone breakdown.

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So there are a few cutoffs and diagnoses

that you might've heard before.

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The first one being osteopenia and

osteopenia is pretty much the midpoint

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between healthy bones and fragile bones.

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It's where bones are below average

bone mineral density for your age.

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So it's like that yellow flag,

that warning that, hey, we might

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need to figure something out

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In order to help slow down

the bone breakdown that's

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happening within our bodies.

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osteoporosis is the more advanced

stage of bone loss, and it's where

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bones are actually porous, fragile,

and more likely to fracture.

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The Bone Health and Osteoporosis

Foundation reports that up to 50% of

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women and 25% of men over the age of 50

will break a bone due to osteoporosis.

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So it's very serious and something that

in our younger years a lot of people

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don't know about and don't know how to

positively build that foundation of bone

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marral density so it is something to

watch out for no matter if you're male or

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female, but especially if you are a female

because the max amount of bone mineral

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density the foundation for our bones,

the strength of our bones is developed

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in those adolescent, teen 20 years.

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So it's super duper important that

we build that foundation in our

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younger years so that when we're

older and our bone breakdown is

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naturally outpacing our bone formation.

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We have this greater foundation to stand

on . And by knowing what stimuli can

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positively affect bone mineral density,

we can start to work against that natural

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bone breakdown that happens as we age.

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So there are a few things that

affect bone mineral density,

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some that are in our control and

some that are out of our control.

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Things like age, biological sex,

race, genetics, loading, stress,

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strain, and diet, all affect our

bone mineral density, which is

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basically the strength of our bones.

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A few of these things are under our

control, and again, a few of them aren't.

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Most notably the ones

that are in our control.

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Loading velocity, stress strain placed

on the bone, and then also our diet.

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So how can we actually strengthen our

bones to build that solid foundation?

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In our teens, twenties, thirties,

this is the time where we

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can optimize that foundation.

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And really honestly, in our

adolescence, up to 40% of our bone

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marrow density is formed by puberty.

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So there's a sharp.

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Increase in our younger years, and then

it starts to plateau off to where in our

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later years we're fighting against this

decline and we really wanna make sure

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that we build up the strength of our

bones early on so that we can reduce the

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slope of that decline and maintain some

of that bone marrow density as we age.

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So how do we strengthen our bones?

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Bones respond to mechanical load

in multiple directions similar to

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how you think about muscles, right?

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When we stress a muscle, it starts to send

reinforcements in order to build up that

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muscle, to be able to tolerate that load.

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The next time.

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Muscles pull on bones, so the

same thing happens to our bones.

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Bones start to respond to that

mechanical load, that stress and strain

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in a lot of different directions.

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So in a similar way that our body's queued

to build muscle in areas during training,

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our bones are also queued to build more

bones in areas that we load And that

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load can come through strength training

or through something like jump training.

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And jump training is almost

like bone building on steroids a

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little bit, especially as we age.

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And as a side note, muscles pull on bones.

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So anytime we load the muscles,

we are also loading the bones.

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The important thing for both

loading the muscles and the bones

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is that we do it in a safe way.

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Jump training sounds super

scary, especially for people who

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aren't used to doing jump rope

and squat jumps or box jumps.

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It can be super scary and it can.

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Introduce us to injury if our bodies

aren't prepped and primed for it.

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So a lot of the studies that say

how beneficial jump training is

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actually start with the Foundational

Strength Training program to help

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the body build that foundation for

when the researchers decided to add

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that jump training into the program.

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So I cannot overstate the importance

of having a good foundation to.

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Build upon when we're talking about jump

training, we don't wanna start off just

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jumping and just loading our joints, our

muscles, our tendons, our bones, in such

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an extreme high velocity way, because that

will only introduce injury that much more.

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We wanna do it in a

safe and effective way.

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Okay.

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Along a similar line, jump training

is effective at all stages of the

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lifespan, but that doesn't mean that

as a young athlete, we're gonna be

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doing the same jump training as I

give some of my 80-year-old patients.

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It can be titrated or altered or modified

to fit the musculoskeletal system and the

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physiology of the person in front of us.

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So make sure you take into account your

current physiologic musculoskeletal

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health before we start adding

jump training that is way above

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your threshold for improvement.

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So we wanna hit that sweet spot, one

that is below the threshold for injury,

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but above the threshold for maintenance.

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Bone mineral density peaks at or before

about 30 years old, which is a lot

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younger than a lot of people think.

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And so it's important that we include

jump training before to help build

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that foundation, but then also well

after into our eighties, so that we

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can use that stimulus on steroids,

that jump training in order to

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positively affect our bone health.

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So some of the benefits of jump training

we have, of course improved bone

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mineral density with jump training.

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it's almost like the secret sauce for

improving our bone density on steroids.

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It's also effective for all

ages throughout the lifespan.

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It's fall risk protection and

it's injury risk protection.

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As a physical therapist, it's also

super important for tendon health.

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It's also been shown to improve

bone marrow density in women

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who are on oral contraceptives.

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Certain oral contraceptives depending on

the type of oral contraceptive, the age

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that you're taking, them at the length

of time that you've been taking them.

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have a risk of decreasing the rate of bone

formation in peak bone formation years.

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A lot of the time, young girls,

adolescents, teens, 20 year olds

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are put on oral contraceptives, and

those are peak bone formation years.

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So jump training can help combat

some of the effects of the

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decrease in bone marrow density,

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and there's also improved bone

marrow density in adolescents who

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start a jump training program.

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Again, building that foundation is so

important, especially in younger girls.

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So now that we've talked all about

jump training, how can you actually

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incorporate it into your exercise handbag?

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First things first.

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Have a great strength training foundation

jumping, just like high intensity interval

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training and sprint interval training.

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puts your musculoskeletal system at risk

if you don't have the proper foundations,

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which is why I like to mention a

strength training foundation first.

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Don't start off with the

highest jump, single legwork.

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Start bilateral, start a little easy.

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Start a little lighter than what

you think your body can tolerate

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and then build up from there.

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It's okay to ease into it.

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One study on perimenopausal women

performed a foundational strength

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training program first, then add in

bilateral, which is like double leg

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squat, jump training, then unilateral,

so think split squat, split jumps.

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Lunge jumps, whatever you wanna call 'em.

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Then increased height and direction,

that's the important thing too.

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Bone responds to multi-directional

mechanical loads, so eventually we

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want to build up to be able to tolerate

more directions and quicker speeds,

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more weight, more height, unilateral,

bilateral, all the different variations.

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So it's important to build.

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We don't wanna start at the hardest

jump first and expect our body to adapt.

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Let's truly build up.

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So how should we implement it

in our own exercise handbags.

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A study in college females

showed that bone mineral density

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improved with 10 vertical jumps.

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So that's just thinking like straight

up, jumping as high as you can, double

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leg three times a week with eight to

12 seconds for each interval and that.

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Protocol improved bone mineral density at

the lumbar spine in the hips, which are

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the areas that are typically analyzed when

talking about osteopenia and osteoporosis.

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They're the ones that we start to

look at to see how to generalize.

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How is that risk for weaker

bones or a bone mineral density

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lost throughout the body.

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So even something as little as 10

vertical jumps three times a week

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has been shown to improve bone

mar density in college females..

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I use that study as a way to show

just how little time commitment

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this takes in order to implement

jump training in your own schedule.

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Another important thing to know

when implementing jump training into

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your exercise handbag is to vary it.

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We don't just wanna be doing

bilateral, we don't just wanna

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be doing straight up and down.

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We want to.

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Change direction.

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So think side to side,

forward backwards, twisting.

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We want to do single leg, we wanna

do double leg, we wanna do barefoot.

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We wanna land with soft knees, we

wanna land with Ben knees and sometimes

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a little bit of straight knees to

increase that load in a healthy way.

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We wanna jump up, we wanna land,

we wanna jump down, we wanna

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jump down and then explode up.

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So there's a whole lot of different ways

to incorporate jump training, but it's

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important that we basically vary a lot of

the different components of jump training

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to truly stress our bones in the most

beneficial way and the way that's going to

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positively affect our bone marrow density.

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As far as sets and reps goes three

to five days a week, which you can

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mix 'em into your other workouts.

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I'm thinking with your strength training

days, it's really easy to add in those 10

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to 12 reps, three sets of jump training

during your workouts throughout the week,

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so two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps.

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Full body weight or semi weighted is best

minimum is four times your body weight

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for loading I think it's about 4.2,

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but minimum 4.2

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times your body weight for loading.

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Not that I expect you to calculate

that, but just so you have it in

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your head, doing something like.

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Pool jumping is not going to load

the skeletal system enough in

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order to affect your bone mineral

and stay in a positive way.

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Yeah, it might get your heart rate up.

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It might have other benefits, but

we really do want about that four

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time your body weight mark in order

to positively stress the bones.

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So if you're a reformer Pilates girl,

the way that you can implement this into

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your routine is load up the weight on

that reformer, get on that jump board

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and just jump as high up as you can.

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Load up all that weight.

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Do single leg, do double leg change,

back and forth, up and down, side

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to side, all different directions.

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You can totally do that

on a Pilates reformer.

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If you're a yoga sculptor at home

workout girly, this is how I do

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my jump training, but I do squat

jumps, lateral hops, speed skaters.

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I do it with shoes.

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I also do it barefoot.

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Another important thing to note, you do

also wanna vary if your feet and your body

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tolerates it, vary your support systems.

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So shoes are obviously gonna cushion

it a little bit more and decrease some

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of the loading on your skeletal system.

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So if you can alternate shoes and

not shoes, that's even better.

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If you're a runner, maybe begin or end

your workout with a few split jumps.

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It's super easy to get that jump training

at home or during that sculpt class when

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they're having you do those extra pulses.

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Maybe get a few extra squat jumps

in, or a few extra lunch jumps in

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just to add in that jump training

into your already scheduled workout.

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So this is one of the reasons I'm so

passionate about the exercise handbag

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is because a lot of the things that

I'm talking about and a lot of the

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essentials in the exercise handbag

don't just positively affect us now,

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but really help us long term as a PT.

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I've seen so many patients post

fall who've had fractured hips

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and are learning how to ReWalk

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I know it's only recently that we're

just starting to understand the

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importance of women, especially loading

their skeletal system, loading their

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musculoskeletal system in a good way

for the long-term benefits, not just

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the aesthetic short-term benefits.

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So.

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That is why I am so passionate about

educating, especially younger girls,

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younger women in our twenties and

thirties, so that we really can maximize

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and optimize this time that we have to

build those solid foundations so that

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our 80-year-old selves will thank us.

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So now we have two essentials in

our handbag, high intensity interval

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training and sprint interval

training, and then also jump training,

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which all three, again, the hit

and sit are together combined.

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But jump training I know is that hidden.

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Secret one that not many people know about

and hit and sit are very controversial.

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So I hope these last two episodes,

if you missed the hit and sit one,

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it is the episode right before this.

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So go and check that out.

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But we'll be covering more

exercise handbag essentials

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throughout the month of September.

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But these are super duper fun ones because

one is super controversial and one.

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No one really talks about.

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So I hope you guys learn

something about your body today.

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Learn something about jump training

and how to incorporate it into your

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own schedule and your own routine, no

matter the style of exercise or the

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style of exercise handbag that you enjoy.

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And if you have time before you

switch over to music or your next

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podcast episode, if you wouldn't

mind rating and reviewing the show,

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I would greatly appreciate it.

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It means the world that you guys

support me and listen to these episodes,

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and I'm just grateful because I.

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Love educating on this stuff and

I hope you get a lot out of it.

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And if you do, it would be in the world if

you went to rate and review it on whatever

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podcast platform you're listening on.

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So thank you so much for listening.

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I hope you got a lot out of this

episode and I'll see you guys again in

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the next episode of Wellness Exists,

the pod where we will introduce a new

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essential for our exercise handbag.