Osteogenic Response After Six Months of High-Intensity, Low-Impact Exercise

Abstract

PURPOSE: Lagree Fitness exercise offers high-intensity, low impact workouts that combine resistance, endurance, core, and cardio training. These classes are offered as alternatives to traditional weight bearing resistance training; however, it is unknown whether this training method has osteogenic effects on bone similar to traditional resistance training. To provide such insight, we assessed changes in bone after six months of the high-intensity training using the Lagree Fitness Megaformer in men and women. METHODS: 31 healthy participants began a 6 month, 3x per week, 25 minute group lead, Lagree Fitness training course on the Megaformer. The data from 19 women and 4 men (45.1 ± 20.9 years of age), weight (150.5 ± 41.5 lb), height (66.5 ± 6.5 in) were analyzed; eight participants did not complete the course and were excluded from data analysis. All participants completed a lumbar spine, bilateral hip, and total body scan on a GE Lunar iDXA dual-energy x-ray absorptiometer at baseline and within 10 days of completing 72 training sessions. RESULTS: There were no significant osteogenic effects on lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) (P=.102), femoral neck BMD (P=.519), or total hip BMD (P=.481) in this sample. There was also no significant changes in total body bone mineral content (BMC). While there were no statistically significant changes in total body BMD (P= .186), total arm BMD (P=.125) and total leg BMD (P=.111), there were apparent positive increases that may be promising and suggests the necessity for further data collection with a larger sample. There were similar positive effects on total arm BMC (P=.292) with statistically significant increases in total leg BMC (P <.035). The increase from baseline of total arm lean mass (LM) (P < .009) was significant, and increases in total body LM (P=.069) approached significance. Change in total leg LM (P=.382) was not significant. CONCLUSION: In the absence of weight bearing exercise, high-intensity exercise on the Lagree Fitness Megaformer provided significant increase in total leg BMC, and promising increases in BMC and BMD across other body regions. However, there were no significant osteogenic effects on the hips and lumbar spine typically of importance in osteopenic populations.