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 misconception is fueled by claims of increased joint pain, pelvic floor leakage, and the idea that bones become too fragile to tolerate impact,” says board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Pamela Mehta, MD, founder of Resilience Orthopedics in Los Gatos, California.
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. Mehta. 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.
“The trend is for women to continuously lose more and more bone as they age,” says Tang. Once you develop osteoporosis or osteopenia, only a small percentage of people can regain density. “So the fact that I improved mine—and plyometrics was the main thing I changed—is major,” she says.
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.
The Bone-Building Power of Plyometrics
“Plyometrics are a category of exercises that require you to produce a tremendous amount of force in a short amount of time,” says strength and conditioning specialist Alena Luciani, MS, CSCS, founder of Training2xl. Often described as explosive or powerful, plyometrics are more impactful than traditional weight-bearing or high-impact exercises by design.
Consider traditional squats versus plyometric variations. Sure, goblet squats—which involve holding a weight in the front rack position as you sit to depth—can support bone density by challenging the musculoskeletal system, explains Luciani. But their higher-impact cousin, the jump squat, takes the stimulus to the next level. “You have to move faster and produce force much more quickly than you would during a goblet squat,” she says.
That rapid, high-impact loading is the exact type of stimulus that bones need to remodel and grow stronger, says Parini A. Patel, DO, an interventional pain and musculoskeletal medicine physician at Atlantic Health in New Jersey. In fact, recent research suggests that high(er) impact, more explosive training regimes (like plyometrics) provide even more bone benefits than traditional strength training.
One 2023 review published in the Journal of Sports Sciences observed that high-impact jumping exercise improved bone mineral density more than non-jumping alternatives.
Bones respond best when forces hit them quickly and sharply—like the impact of landing from a jump, explains Dr. Patel. “Plyometrics naturally provide these conditions in ways that low-impact activities cannot,” says Dr. Patel. Each time you land, sensor cells in the bones (called osteocytes) detect that burst of impact and signal the bone’s builder cells (osteoblasts) to lay down new bone, she explains. Over time, even short doses of this kind of impact can significantly improve bone strength.
Just as important as their impact on bone density, plyometrics also strengthen the systems that help prevent fractures in the first place. “Plyometrics also train and prime your central nervous system, helping to increase reaction time,” says Luciani. “Fast reaction time is significant for adults as they get older because it can be the difference between tripping, falling, and breaking a hip while walking on the sidewalk, and catching yourself so that the break never happens,” she says. This is key as hip fractures have been shown to increase the risk of future fractures drastically and are associated with higher mortality rates—especially in older women.
Why Women Have the Most to Gain From Plyo Training
While plyo training has benefits for people across the gender spectrum, women are especially poised to reap the benefits. Women face significantly higher lifetime risks of osteopenia and osteoporosis by a large margin. (Eighty percent of all people with osteoporosis are women, studies suggest.)
One cause of this discrepancy? Hormones, says Dr. Mehta. Estrogen in particular has a protective impact on the bones; while the hormone is best known for its role in reproduction, estrogen supports new bone formation.
Unfortunately, that means that when estrogen levels drop during perimenopause and the menopause transition, the protective impact wanes and women start to lose bone mass—and quickly, says Dr. Mehta. (Men experience hormonal changes with age, too, but the effect of reduced testosterone levels on bone is far less dramatic.)
“Women also reach a lower peak bone mass in early adulthood compared to men, providing less skeletal reserve as age-related bone loss begins,” says Dr. Patel. In addition, women have smaller frames than men, and therefore are predisposed to have smaller bones, thinner cortices, and lower bone volume than men, she adds. With that, the natural declines associated with age and hormonal changes have more detrimental impacts on women over time.
Not to mention, because women live five to six years longer than men on average, “they spend more years in a lowest estrogen state,” she says, which means the internal structure of the bones gradually weakens over time, raising the risk of fractures.
Women’s comparatively heightened risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis, broadly speaking, makes them ideal candidates for nearly any kind of bone-protective interventions. But plyometrics may be an especially powerful addition.
Consider this: The spine is the most common osteoporotic fracture site amongst women, while the hip is a close second. Breaks in either area can cause pain, as well as lead to immobility and loss of independence, which leads to other complications long-term. The good news is that both regions are highly responsive to plyometric training. “The hips and spine respond especially well because they absorb the most force when you land,” Dr. Patel says.
Importantly, health care providers emphasize that plyometrics aren’t meant to replace traditional strength training, but to complement it. Strength training supports muscle and tissue health more broadly, while plyometrics deliver the impact bones respond to particularly well, explains Dr. Patel. Together, the two types of loading work together to support the health of your entire frame—and research backs it up.
A study published in Applied Sciences last year found that participants who tacked on twice-weekly jump training to their usual exercise routine had improved lower-limb joint health in just 12 weeks. Meanwhile, a 2025 review in Current Osteoporosis Reports found that high-impact plyometric exercise increased lumbar spine bone mineral density in post-menopausal women. But, the authors note that the greatest benefits often appear in programs that combine resistance training with impact loading, reinforcing the idea that the two approaches work best together.
And those widespread myths that say plyometrics are off-limits after middle age? Hogwash. “Jumping does not cause wear-and-tear, worsen osteoarthritis, or increase fracture risk,” says Dr. Patel. “When done appropriately, plyometric drills are one of the most effective ways to stimulate bone formation and preserve bone density during midlife,” she says. The real risk arises from improper progression, inadequate landing mechanics, or unrecognized musculoskeletal conditions—not the jumping itself, she says.
How to Integrate Plyometrics into Your Routine in a Realistic Way
No matter your age, goals, or training background, it’s wise to consult a physician before giving your movement practice a major overhaul, says Dr. Patel. A clinician can review your medical history, medications, bone density status, and any underlying conditions to determine whether impact training is appropriate for you at this time. Or, if you’ll need modifications.
“Jumping does not cause wear-and-tear, worsen osteoarthritis, or increase fracture risk.” —Dr. Parini A. Patel
If you have symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction (e.g., urinary leakage, heaviness or pressure in the pelvis, pain during penetration, or discomfort during high-impact activities) it’s worth consulting a pelvic floor physical therapist first. Conditions like prolapse or incontinence often require some pelvic floor strengthening and coordination work before plyometrics feel safe and supportive, Dr. Patel says.
Once you’ve gotten the green light, the next step is to gradually introduce plyometrics into your workouts. For most, Luciani recommends picking just one or two plyometric movements per session, performing 8 to 12 total reps of each movement, with a minimum of 20 to 30 seconds between reps.
Perform these movements after your warm-up, but before your main strength work, when your nervous system is primed but still fresh enough to generate power safely.
That may not sound like much, but it’s the ideal dose. “You want to keep the volume really low because these movements are incredibly taxing on your tissues and nervous system,” she says. “The goal is quality, not quantity.” A smaller number of well-executed reps is far more effective (and safer!) than dozens of sloppy reps.
Workout Rx: Pick just one or two plyometric movements per session, performing 8–12 total reps of each movement, with a minimum of 20–30 seconds between reps.
1. Prep your body. Your current strength, balance, bone density, and overall fitness level should dictate exactly which plyometrics you introduce first. But Dr. Patel recommends beginning with movements that build Achilles tendon strength and lower-leg resilience, since the Achilles absorbs a large portion of the force when you land from a jump. Calf raises, heel drops, and small pogo hops can all help prep the tissues and joints for higher-impact training, she says.
As you hop, make sure to prioritize two-foot takeoffs and proper landing mechanics (soft knees, send back hips, engaged core), says Dr. Patel. This will help distribute impact throughout the lower body and reduce undue stress on your joints, all while still delivering the bone-building stimulus that plyometrics are known for, she explains.
Stay here for a minimum of two to three weeks, or as long as it takes for the hops to feel smooth and you to feel confident.
2. Level up to staggered-stance jumps. When you feel stable and controlled with two-foot hops, Tang recommends graduating to staggered-stance jumps. “Start with one foot just slightly in front—the change in stance forces your body to find its center of mass differently,” she explains. The mid-line strength and increased balance you gain here will make later progressions—like broad jumps and single-leg hops—much more accessible and safer. Just don’t forget to practice with both your dominant and non-dominant foot forward, as you want to build balanced strength and stability, she says.
3. Add more explosive options. After a few weeks of symptom-free, beginner-friendly plyometrics, you’re ready to try advanced plyometric exercises, such as:
- Broad jump
- Burpee broad jump
- Tuck jump
- Depth jump
These all require you to generate even more force even more quickly, which is precisely what makes them so effective for bone health—but also why they need to be approached thoughtfully, says Luciani.
5. Try unilateral plyometrics. “One of the hardest next levels is single-leg hopping,” says Tang. Unilateral plyometrics demand significantly more balance, stability, and force production from each leg—which is exactly why they’re so effective, she says. “Try hopping on a single leg in place, hopping forward, hopping left and right.” As you gain proficiency in these one-sided movements, try increasing the distance you cover with each hop,” she suggests.
6. Don’t forget about midline and upper-body plyometrics. Lower-body plyometrics may get all the attention, but if you want stronger bones or midline, you shouldn’t snooze on upper-body variations. “Upper-body plyometrics are fun to do, dynamic, great for stress relief, and often utilize a medicine ball,” says Luciani. These exercises—which include med-ball throws, d-ball slams, rotational wall throws, and the like—help you turn, rotate, react, and produce power through your upper and middle body, which is a real asset as we age,” she says.
Luciani suggests one of your two to three weekly plyometric sessions, an upper-body or midline-focused workout. Ideally, hitting them before an upper-body-focused lifting day, like shoulder and biceps or back and triceps.
7. Prioritize recovery. No matter your progression, plyometrics require a lot from your body. Yep, even though you’re only supposed to do fewer than 12 reps per session. “You want to allow 48 hours between your higher-intensity plyometric sessions for proper recovery,” says Dr. Patel. You can further support recovery by prioritizing sleep, eating nutrient-dense foods and enough of them, and implementing stress-relief exercises.
Additionally, be sure to check in with your body. “Sharp pain, new neurological symptoms, pelvic floor symptoms, and prolonged soreness are signs that it’s time to pause progression and check in with an expert,” she says.
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Gabrielle Kassel (she/her) is a sex and wellness journalist who writes at the intersection of queerness, sexual health, and pleasure. In addition to Women’s Health, her work has appeared in publications such as Shape, Cosmopolitan, Well+Good, Health, Self, Men’s Health, Greatist, and more! In her free time, Gabrielle can be found coaching CrossFit, reviewing pleasure products, hiking with her border collie, or recording episodes of the podcast she co-hosts called
