At my peak, was roughly ~200 lbs and I’m taller than average. I can’t say I have “good genes” on bone density - or at least there isn’t any reason to believe it - in fact, ethnically, associated with higher risk of osteoporosis. My parents don’t have osteoporosis yet but mother has slightly osteopenia
I can’t say for sure exactly what was the cause definitively and it could be related to individual differences too, but here’s what I did that might be related:
Resistance training is probably a large part of it - high-intensity, between the repetitions and %1RM suggestive of strength and hypertrophy, as high volume as possible with adequate rest time spaced out, individualized by muscle group. I used to work out almost every day with 1-2 rest days and ex-NASM CPT. Minimal cardio (45 min 3x week “Zone 2”, no HIIT) at the time due to trouble getting to calorie amounts with too much cardio.
I can go more in-depth on the training regime if you wish, but I’ll just say, in general, there are a huge amount of misconceptions about resistance training in terms of risks, benefits, and implementation if one digs in the literature vs what a good amount of pros are saying, let alone the “bro science” crowd.
Adequate dietary protein (this can get into a complex debate beyond protein synthesis - depends on the intensity and what you’re aiming for - for me personally, I went with slightly under ~1 g/lb bodyweight/day to increase insulin response, theoretical recovery at higher training density, and maintaining a slightly positive nitrogen balance based on my own urine samples with validated biomarkers to avoid error, no need to go excessive on protein - generally right around ~0.8 is cost-effective with high confidence is a good general rule of thumb), calcium (~1000 mg from diet), Vitamin D3 (I took 1,000 IU at the time with minimal sunlight exposure, but now I take 2,000 IU due to slightly lower than what I’d like to hit on an individual level for right around maximal PTH suppression), and no alcohol are the current standards. Potentially, Vitamin K2 - I just ate sufficient amounts of Natto. I ate about 85% “clean” back then but was hard to force the last rough 500 cal or so for ~4,000 cal a day.
I also did CMP, thyroid labs, etc baseline to make sure I wasn’t working against anything metabolic albeit unlikely, and not recommended if one is “healthy” and has no symptoms. Avoiding secondhand smoke and PM2.5 was important too. I also don’t know if this might be related as the evidence is still iffy, but I avoided the use of plastics as much as possible (endocrine disruptors). As for supplements, creatine (Creapure), beta alanine, cycled low dose ephedrine/caffeine for a few years, morning coffee when not on ephedrine, whey protein isolate (with banana post-workout). All NSF certified, so pretty sure no significant contamination or adulteration.
I currently do much less volume for strength training only, but very close to 90%-95%1RM very carefully. I also do HIIT 2x week currently and 1-2x/week Zone 2 when I can fit it in. Mild calorie restriction, low-moderate protein but still significantly above RDA.
I’ll also add since some people tend to be cardio only - but it’s misguided - there are benefits for both and they are independent:
For the older adults here - I did a lot of study on resistance training in older adults, in terms of potential sarcopenia and osteoporosis prevention. Something that might be interesting is ACE inhibitors might enhance a hypertrophic response to strength training (only tested in older adults).
The theory goes it increases skeletal muscle blood flow, higher muscle protein synthesis, increased response in IGF-1 levels, increased muscle mitochondrial density, and decreased inflammatory process overall. See PROGRESS trial. Great if you’re borderline indicated for it. On the other hand, beta blockers might not be a great idea, if there is an equivalent alternative as it blunts the effect. A lot of folks don’t realize how meds blunt exercise in different ways. Finally, if one has menopause or true hypogonadism and any of the commonly prescribed meds that affect BMD then that should also be addressed.
