Skip to content
Bone BuilderBoneBuilder
← Learn
Safety

Movements to respect (not fear)

The spine guidelines every person with low bone density should know.

4 min read · Medically reviewed by Dr. Emily Warren, DPT · Updated July 2026

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) · BoneFit®-certified (Osteoporosis Canada) · LIFTMOR protocol–trained · Credentialed McKenzie (MDT) therapist · Mindful Movement Physical Therapies

The old advice was a flat list of ‘movements to avoid’. The current BoneFit guidance is more nuanced and more useful: it’s about limiting certain loaded patterns, not living in fear of your own body.

Limit these spinal loads

Be cautious with spinal flexion (forward bending), rotation (twisting) and side-bending when they are also repeated/sustained, weighted, at end-range, rapid/forceful, or combined. It’s the combination of bending and load that threatens a fragile vertebra.

  • Don’t round-and-lift — hinge at the hips with a flat back instead
  • Reduce the cumulative slouching and twisting of daily life and work
  • Take care lowering a heavy object down from overhead
  • For the hip: avoid forced, end-range rotation, and follow any post-surgery limits
The single most protective skill is the hip hinge: bending from the hips while the spine stays neutral. Master it and you make every daily lift — groceries, laundry, grandchildren — safer.

What we encourage

Extension is your friend. Strengthening the muscles that hold you tall — the spinal extensors — improves posture and reduces back pain. That’s why the Foundation track is full of gentle extension work, and why every loaded lift in Bone Builder is coached to a neutral spine.

Frequently asked questions

What exercises should you avoid with osteoporosis?

Avoid loaded, end-range spinal flexion and twisting — for example, weighted sit-ups and crunches, toe-touches, deep forward folds, and fast, forceful rotation (like a golf swing) done repeatedly under load. The risk is the combination of bending or twisting with load or momentum, which can stress a fragile vertebra. Everyday bending isn’t forbidden; the goal is to hinge from the hips with a neutral spine instead of rounding the back.

Are sit-ups and crunches bad for osteoporosis?

Traditional sit-ups and crunches pull the spine into repeated loaded flexion, which is the pattern most associated with vertebral compression risk in low bone density. Safer core options keep the spine neutral — planks, bird-dogs, and standing anti-rotation work build the same strength without the flexion load.

Can I bend over if I have osteoporosis?

Yes — you can and should keep moving. The key is how you bend: hinge at the hips and keep your spine long and neutral rather than rounding your back under load. The hip hinge is the single most protective skill for daily lifting with osteoporosis.

Sources

  • Bone Fit™ — Osteoporosis Canada (evidence-informed exercise training for health professionals)
  • Too Fit to Fracture: exercise recommendations (Giangregorio LM et al., Osteoporos Int, 2014)

Keep reading

Basics

Osteoporosis, explained simply

The Science

Why we lift heavy (safely)

Put this into practice.

Bone Builder turns the LIFTMOR and BoneFit evidence into a guided, progressive plan matched to your bone density — with video coaching for all 86 movements.

Take the free 3-minute assessment