“Injuries that athletes experience when they are on the field are often attributed to muscles, ligaments, and tendons,” begins Kyle Zagrodzky, CEO of OsteoStrong.
“The way to think about bones when it comes to muscles, ligaments, tendons, and/or fractures is that they are the chassis of our body. That’s just like you would have a Formula One sports car. It has a chassis that could hold a Formula One engine. And by the same standard, if you took a Formula One engine and you put it in a Toyota Tercel, it would destroy the car.”
Zagrodzky is responding to how NFL athletes can expedite their recovery and get back on the field sooner after an injury, following the injuries that have plagued players like Caleb Williams, Jaxson Dart, Jayden Daniels and other NFL stars.
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We wanted to find out more about the role bone health plays in getting players back from injury sooner, and whether strengthening the entire musculoskeletal system through 10 minutes of controlled loading per week could be the answer.
Watch: Kyle Zagrodzky discusses bone health and NFL injuries
“Strengthening bones is directly linked to stronger muscles, stronger ligaments and stronger tendons. How do you strengthen the bones and what happens when you do, when it comes to athletic performance, recovery and injury prevention? The language of bone is force. And specifically, high-impact force can build bone,” says Zagrodzky.
“It is often thought that walking, lifting weights, or even jogging or running can strengthen the bones. And in some cases, when it’s really high-impact force, like sprinting, it can have an effect on bone density. But for the most part, the level of force needed to trigger bone mineral density increase is quite substantial.”
Zagrodzky is referring to a study published by Dr. Kevin Deere in 2012. Of over 700 people in the study, it was determined the minimum of 4.2 multiples of body weight would trigger the development of new bone mineral density.
Of over 700 people in the study, it was determined the minimum of 4.2 multiples of body weight would trigger the development of new bone mineral density.
That’s a big number, and is known as the “osteogenic threshold,” meaning only high-impact physical activity that exerts a gravitational force roughly 4.2 multiples of an individual’s body weight effectively triggers osteogenesis (new bone growth). Low-impact (0.5 to 2.1) and moderate-impact (2.1 to 4.2) activities showed no significant benefit.
That means movement like gentle walking or jogging fall below that threshold. Jumping, sprinting, gymnastics, and heavy weightlifting all qualify.
“Gymnasts will generally have the highest bone mineral density and physical strength pound for pound of any other class of athlete,” Zagrodzky adds. But while “impact force is great for developing bone strength, it’s not so great for your joints, and the long-term impact your joints can take can lead to injuries.” That’s why many gymnasts will retire at a young age or go on to have issues with their hips or backs.
“There are actually a lot of other factors that indicate whether or not bones are strong,” Zagrodzky adds. “If the person is getting heavy loading…they’re going to get stronger bones in that specific area…by virtue of loading the bone, you’re going to release more osteocalcin (a protein hormone)… but also critical performance hormones like testosterone and insulin.”
“I have devices that are specifically designed to allow both athletes and elderly people in a static position, high levels of impact-level force without the impact. That’s why we see very, very, very few injuries coming out of osteo-strong centers (wellness centers dedicated to bone strengthening).”
Zagrodzky explains that the development of stronger bones (and your engine as a whole) trains your central nervous system, which will allow your muscles and ligaments to become stronger. “So we see a sharp increase in athletic performance of all classes of athletes, whether they are distance runners or endurance athletes, or more explosive force athletes like power lifters, golfers.”
“Strengthening your bones increases the strength of your chassis, and then your body can hold more muscle and will respond by making your muscles denser and stronger, but also your ligaments and tendons, thus preventing injuries. As far as injury rehab goes, the muscles, bones and the surrounding tissue rehab much faster when you can do heavy loading in a static configuration.”
Zagrodzky reveals he can relieve pain and improve bone strength doing just one session a week for two months. “It is absolutely valuable that athletes understand the importance of strong bones as it relates to injury prevention but also athletic performance and then how to strengthen your bones without creating more injuries.”
In short? Focus on high loading and power in “impact-ready” positions (non-moving or fixed, controlled) that don’t cause more impact than is necessary. Examples include:
- Heavy isometric training: Goal: Maximize rate of force and strengthen joints and tendons by holding or maintaining a load without moving. Exercises: hold a quarter-depth squat, heavy farmer’s holds, heavy wall squat hold, split squat or lunge holds.
- Overcoming Isometrics: Maximize force output by using your max effort to push or pull against an immovable object like a wall or heavily loaded bar. Exercises: Pull against a heavily loaded fixed barbell as if performing a deadlift without lifting the weight, standing from a quarter-squat position and driving your body into the bar as you press upward.
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