Could kung fu iron body training stop osteoporosis?

[ironfist]

I have a bit of of a weird history when it comes to things I did in my youth.

At any rate, there is a kind of training in kung fu called "iron body." Among other things, it involves hitting yourself - gently at first - with different objects. In this case, I used canvas bags full of beans, and then later gravel. It was a long skinny bag, about 1.5" in diameter and more than 12" in length. Anyway, this training, other than the obvious lessening sensitivity, is said to make the bones denser... a principal supported by Wolff's law.

Wolff's law says that bones with force applied to them, such as weight lifters, or dancers, will become stronger.

So I'm wondering, would this same concept help osteoporosis, where the bones are becoming less dense?

 

[Inaut]

I have a bit of of a weird history when it comes to things I did in my youth.

At any rate, there is a kind of training in kung fu called "iron body." Among other things, it involves hitting yourself - gently at first - with different objects. In this case, I used canvas bags full of beans, and then later gravel. It was a long skinny bag, about 1.5" in diameter and more than 12" in length. Anyway, this training, other than the obvious lessening sensitivity, is said to make the bones denser... a principal supported by Wolff's law.

Wolff's law says that bones with force applied to them, such as weight lifters, or dancers, will become stronger.

So I'm wondering, would this same concept help osteoporosis, where the bones are becoming less dense?

why not just jump on a trampoline/rebounder for a few minutes? safer than breaking bricks/bottles with your head

 

[Regina]

I have a bit of of a weird history when it comes to things I did in my youth.

At any rate, there is a kind of training in kung fu called "iron body." Among other things, it involves hitting yourself - gently at first - with different objects. In this case, I used canvas bags full of beans, and then later gravel. It was a long skinny bag, about 1.5" in diameter and more than 12" in length. Anyway, this training, other than the obvious lessening sensitivity, is said to make the bones denser... a principal supported by Wolff's law.

Wolff's law says that bones with force applied to them, such as weight lifters, or dancers, will become stronger.

So I'm wondering, would this same concept help osteoporosis, where the bones are becoming less dense?

Years and years of aikido and active stage and screen combat and stunts perf/play/training did not change my frail skeleton.
I was ripped and cut but still small framed.

Consuming calcium, vit K2 and anti-estrogen strategies has made me what one might describe a hardy midwest corn-fed tank.
I have stopped all of those activites since Peating. I could shed a few pounds now, but my skeleton is solid.

 

[eimearrose]

I have a bit of of a weird history when it comes to things I did in my youth.

At any rate, there is a kind of training in kung fu called "iron body." Among other things, it involves hitting yourself - gently at first - with different objects. In this case, I used canvas bags full of beans, and then later gravel. It was a long skinny bag, about 1.5" in diameter and more than 12" in length. Anyway, this training, other than the obvious lessening sensitivity, is said to make the bones denser... a principal supported by Wolff's law.

Wolff's law says that bones with force applied to them, such as weight lifters, or dancers, will become stronger.

So I'm wondering, would this same concept help osteoporosis, where the bones are becoming less dense?

My understanding is you need shearing force on the bone to stimulate new bone formation. The key determinants of bone density are good nutrition and low stress. Vegetarian/low nutrient density diets, the hormonal contraceptive and the 70s/80-borne love affair with endurance exercise are the most probable factors in the rise of osteoporosis. In theory most exercise (apart from perhaps swimming) should give the bone some loading to at least prevent bone loss but only if the building blocks are there (calories, calcium, protein, vit D K etc). That's why the dancers, despite all that loading, can often end up with terrible osteoporosis through extreme dieting.

 

[ironfist]

why not just jump on a trampoline/rebounder for a few minutes? safer than breaking bricks/bottles with your head

Supposedly it's good for lymph.

I don't presume that would enhance bones because there's no impact on the bones.

 

[ironfist]

Years and years of aikido and active stage and screen combat and stunts perf/play/training did not change my frail skeleton.
I was ripped and cut but still small framed.

Consuming calcium, vit K2 and anti-estrogen strategies has made me what one might describe a hardy midwest corn-fed tank.
I have stopped all of those activites since Peating. I could shed a few pounds now, but my skeleton is solid.

What exams confirmed solidity?

 

[ironfist]

My understanding is you need shearing force on the bone to stimulate new bone formation. The key determinants of bone density are good nutrition and low stress. Vegetarian/low nutrient density diets, the hormonal contraceptive and the 70s/80-borne love affair with endurance exercise are the most probable factors in the rise of osteoporosis. In theory most exercise (apart from perhaps swimming) should give the bone some loading to at least prevent bone loss but only if the building blocks are there (calories, calcium, protein, vit D K etc). That's why the dancers, despite all that loading, can often end up with terrible osteoporosis through extreme dieting.

Constituent parts, yeah.

 

[JamesGatz]

I think it would work - besides Wolff's law I think any tissue in the body responds to movement/stress

 

[Regina]

What exams confirmed solidity?

I didn't do any tests.
This is definitely bone though. I also have a lot of grip strength and can haul stuff like I never could before.

 

[ironfist]

Without tests how are you understanding your bones are less or more hard?

 

[Brandin]

Well

Years and years of aikido and active stage and screen combat and stunts perf/play/training did not change my frail skeleton.
I was ripped and cut but still small framed.

Consuming calcium, vit K2 and anti-estrogen strategies has made me what one might describe a hardy midwest corn-fed tank.
I have stopped all of those activites since Peating. I could shed a few pounds now, but my skeleton is solid.

that most likely depends on the hormonal and nutritional state of the individual. I have been peating and working out in the gym. My skeleton has definitely gotten alot bigger. Even before I peated and just gymmed my skeleton grew thicker. I was getting alot of calcium at that time too and was training heavy.

 

[ironfist]

Can someone detail skeleton growing?

 

[MarcelZD]

My understanding is that Wolff's law only really works in the growing phase of an organism.

 

[VitoScaletta]

Any high impact dynamic exercise would work tbh

 

[Brandin]

Can someone detail skeleton growing?

Well sometimes the bmd only increases sometimes thickness. For me increased thickness was blatantly observable.

 

[Regina]

Well

that most likely depends on the hormonal and nutritional state of the individual. I have been peating and working out in the gym. My skeleton has definitely gotten alot bigger. Even before I peated and just gymmed my skeleton grew thicker. I was getting alot of calcium at that time too and was training heavy.

for sure. I didn't start to consume adequate calcium until after I stopped all the training. I'm sure if I ate Peaty concurrently with my aikido, I would have been able to train for many more years and been much less frail.

 

[ironfist]

Here are the iron body bags I mentioned in the first post. I haven't used them in a long time. The first one has somewhat gotten hard -- it was filled with mung beans and I think they got damp and clumpy or something, there's also some mold on it. The second one is filled with small pebbles.