Not only is strength training a great way to tone up and gain muscle mass, it is excellent for building stronger bones.  Strength training is especially helpful for people suffering from osteoporosis or who have a family history of thinning bones.  Contrary to what many people with osteoporosis believe exercise and especially strength training is not only perfectly safe for them to perform but also is highly beneficial.

Strength training shows the most benefit when done on a regular basis through out ones life with the particular focus of working to the point of failure on the major muscle groups.  Strength training has many benefits besides building stronger bones and muscles.  It also helps with posture, strength, balance, flexibility, and the reduction of pain not to mention an increases sense of well being.

Professor Earl Mindell and Virginia Hopkins in Prescription Alternatives state that:

In a recent study on bone density and exercise, older women who did high-intensity weight training two days per week for a year were able to increase their bone density by one percent, while a control group of women who did not exercise had a bone density decrease of 1.8 to 2.5 percent. The women who exercised also had improved muscle strength and better balance, while both decreased in the non-exercising group.

Some tips for safely beginning your strength training program include:

• Typically start with a program that works all major muscle groups then increase your training to spend more time working on each area separately in different sessions
• Allow at least one rest day between sessions for the muscle group worked
• Work each muscle group to the point of failure
• Start with 1 or 2 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise
• Start small and work up weight wise

Starting a strength training regimen earlier rather than later seems to be the best advice especially for women, and as always it is best to consult a physician before starting any exercise program.