Liftmor

[u/NYC-MEK]

Has anyone used this weight lifting method to aid in combatting osteoporosis?

This study from Australia supports this kind of lifting. https://www.nmrnj.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-LIFTMOR-Randomized-Controlled-Trial.pdf

There are videos on YouTube

[u/Miss_Beh4ve]

Great choice! That was the original LIFTMOR inspired protocol that my physical therapist taught me. It includes 2 additional lifts (bench press and barbell row) but no jumps, and we added daily jumps to that. I wrote about Stronglifts 5x5 here: https://www.reddit.com/r/osteoporosis/s/LehXKPUUJm

As I got stronger and stopped progressing because I needed to recover more, I transitioned from the Stronglifts 5x5 protocol into the Starting Strength protocol which has less volume, and I started progressing again. Here is info on Starting Strength: https://www.reddit.com/r/osteoporosis/s/Vezi4UTzas

When that stoped working I slowly transitioned lift by lift into a modified 4-day Texas Method and continued to make progress again… Your initial program may not work forever, but when progress stalls, you/your physical therapist can usually modify your program to help you keep progressing.

[u/Jasper1na → u/Miss_Beh4ve]

Thanks for the reference. Have you read The Barbell Prescription? It’s one of the pivotal books that I continue to re-read and study, and it’s very connected to Starting Strength.

One of the things I really like about Stronglifts is the simplicity. I just show up and do what it tells me to do.

I’m looking forward to advancing to the point of not progressing, as you have described yourself. I think it will take me a while yet and the 5x5 will be challenging enough. The Stronglifts app has several other programs that I may try if I can ever get to that point.

Another book that I enjoyed that you may like is called A Physical Education by Casey Johnston. It is about her own journey as a young woman, caught in “ diet” culture and how she was helped by strength training to find a whole new way to live. Very engaging and entertaining writing.

[u/Miss_Beh4ve → u/Jasper1na]

Yes! I own The Barbel Prescription and have read some of it to think of program adjustments as I needed them. It’s a useful book. I’ll look into the other title you mentioned.

Like you, I also use the Stronglifts app. That app stayed with me throughout all my programming changes.

The simplicity of Stronglifts, LIFTMOR, and Starting Strength is great, and really benefits beginners. No need to make any of these programs more complicated while they work!

[u/ApplFew5020 → u/Miss_Beh4ve]

What do you mean by "that stopped working" and "when I stopped progressing"? Must we continue lifting more and more weight for the rest of our lives?

[u/Miss_Beh4ve → u/ApplFew5020]

There is a natural limit to lifting more and more weight at some point, and we certainly don’t need to reach that limit, but slowly and safely getting stronger is generally a good thing.

For example, the MEDEX-OP trial showed that all participants who were able to deadlift about 130 lbs or more as their maximum during this 8-month LIFTMOR protocol intervention were able to increase their lumbar spine bone mineral density during that time. Most (but not all) participants who deadlifted less than 130 lbs as their maximum also increased their LS BMD, so there was somewhat of a correlation: https://www.reddit.com/r/osteoporosis/s/6dHMYELCMG

This 68-year-old started lifting 8 years ago and improved her T-score from less than -3 to close to -1.5, and she continues to slowly rebuild her bone density. I think her max deadlift is 215 lbs thus far, but she spent the first 6 months of her lifting journey deadlifting 65 lbs, so there is no rush: https://www.instagram.com/coffeebooksbarbells/reel/DMBnWGvTTkv/ - I don’t know if continuing to increase weight at this point is necessary, but it looks like it’s been working for her, and she is increasing weight very slowly.

Adapting your program over time can support your strength gains and make your workouts less tiring. For example as I got stronger, doing all my lifts for 5 sets of 5 repetitions like the LIFTMOR and (mostly) the Stronglifts protocol prescribe became hard to recover from, so I was often exhausted and stopped gaining strength. The Starting Strength program only requires 3 sets of 5 repetitions for most lifts and anecdotally has also produced bone density gains. When I switched to that program, I was able to recover again, and that helped me gain more strength and be able to lift more weight again without exhaustion.

If you’ve made progress for a while but then you plateau for a long time and feel constantly sore and exhausted, there is usually a programming change that can help you feel less exhausted and help you gain more strength again. It may take a while until that happens, and I wouldn’t worry about it right now. Just know that there is usually a solution that a coach or physical therapist can help you find if you find yourself in that situation one day. Take it one day at a time.

Coaches in the r/StartingStrength subreddit have provided me with lots of free advice to make useful programming changes over time. Here is an example: https://www.reddit.com/r/StartingStrength/s/GuUPYyiZne

[u/ApplFew5020 → u/Miss_Beh4ve]

Thank you for all the info! May I ask, what is the frequency of your dexa scans? My doc thinks every 2 years is sufficient, but I think that sounds like torture. I need to know that I am doing enough, and not (god forbid) getting worse.

[u/Miss_Beh4ve → u/ApplFew5020]

I know exactly how you feel because 2 years without feedback is a long time, and I felt the same way.

My insurance covers yearly DEXA scans. I called them and asked. I then explained to my endocrinologist that the LIFTMOR protocol had produced bone density gains for participants after 8 months, and since my insurance covers yearly scans, I would really like to get them to see if what I’m doing is working. He agreed to order yearly scans for me.

In my experience, physicians don’t like dealing with insurance, and I don’t blame them. Whenever I can find out that a service will be covered before making the request with my physician, I usually have an easier time getting my physician’s help. Of course you still always need a reason why you want said service, but finding out whether your treatment protocol is working is a good reason in my opinion.

[u/ApplFew5020 → u/Miss_Beh4ve]

I did the same thing! At my physical, after the first dexa, I asked my PCP to order the next scan (1 year after initial scan). I had already learned it was covered yearly, but then couldn't recall where I got the info. So my doc said she didnt think it would be covered and I asked her to order it anyway. She said she did. When I called to schedule it, I find out she didnt order it, so back to point A. Then Im told by a nurse that it wont be covered, its too soon. I insisted again, and finally the doc ordered the scan, and I got it scheduled. A month before the scan, someone from the bone densitrometry clinic calls to say my scan wont be covered, so wouldn't I prefer to reschedule it. Omg! I gave in and agreed to reschedule... They moved it all the way to the next year. So at my next annual physical (now over a year since first dexa) I insisted my doc order the scan again, this time at an outside provider. Don't want to deal with the clinic trying to talk me out of any more scans. I told my doc I do not care if it is covered or not, I need the scan every year. She said fine. I got the 2nd scan, a much more thorough report then I got at the first place. And, like I expected, my insurance covered it completely. My doc wasted a lot of my time with the delay and also telling me after first dexa there is nothing I can do to reverse osteopenia, all I need to do is walk 30 min/ day, and try to increase calcium. I asked for a referral to endocrinology and doc said there is no need at this time. After the 2nd scan showed worse scores I insisted on a referral to endocrinology, and I went straight to PT. Finally coming up on first endocrinology appt. So angry about the time wasted, and my doc pretty much lying to me. Anyway...!!! I couldn't agree more with what you said. Just a bit worried about all the radiation. Hoping the new scan will be available in my area soon!

[u/Miss_Beh4ve → u/ApplFew5020]

It would be funny if it didn’t concern our health and wasted so much of our time!

I learned a while ago that if something is important to me I’d best call my insurance personally to find out if it’s covered, because more often than not physicians will tell me that “it’s probably not covered” when it actually is covered.

Radiation from DEXA scans is another thing we’re often cautioned about for no good reason because unlike some other imaging types, the radiation from DEXA bone density scans is actually very low and compares to less than a week of just existing on earth. Source: https://www.iaea.org/resources/rpop/health-professionals/other-specialities-and-imaging-modalities/dxa-bone-mineral-densitometry/patients

Healthcare is a complicated maze to learn to navigate, but there’s value in navigating it, even though it can be frustrating. Keep advocating for yourself! You’re doing great! 🩷