Maintaining bone health is a lifelong challenge; it’s never too early to start. In fact, bone strength can begin to decline as early as age 40, slipping at an average rate of 1% per year without proper maintenance1. A well-rounded strength-training workout, like Pilates, targets all major muscle groups and benefits virtually all your bones. It’s especially valuable for the hips, spine, and wrists—areas most prone to fractures. These exercises help build bone strength and promote better balance.
If you’d like to learn more about why this matters, check out our earlier blog on Weight-Bearing Benefits for Women Over 50 and our Step-by-Step Exercises for Better Balance.
Here are five Pilates-based exercises to help you build bone strength and improve balance from the inside out.
1. Opposite Arm / Leg Reach (Bird-Dog)
This classic Pre-Pilates mat move engages your core to stabilize your shoulders, hips, and spine. Supporting your body weight on opposing limbs introduces gentle loading through the arms and legs, stimulating bone growth and improving coordination. Use this exercise as a precursor to all weight-bearing activities to improve bone strength.
How to do it:
Start on hands and knees, engage your core, and extend your right arm forward and left leg back. Keep hips level and spine long. Hold for a breath, then return and switch sides.
Modify It: Keep the toes of the lifted leg on the floor, or shorten your reach.
2. Full Plank
Modified or Full Front Planks are foundational for total-body strength and can be incredibly challenging. They’re weight-bearing through the upper and lower body, helping stimulate bone growth in the wrists and arms while engaging the abdominals. Without a good core connection, one can fall into the joints, leading to discomfort or pain. So move through the modifications and build up to the full exercise for strong bones!
How to do it:
From hands and toes, press the floor away, align shoulders over wrists, and maintain a long, neutral line from heels to head. Engage your core and breathe steadily.
Modify it: Drop to forearms or knees, or add leg lifts for variety.
3. Side Plank
Side Planks are powerhouse exercises for bone strength and lateral stability, and a precursor for many of the more Advanced and Super Advanced Pilates exercises. Supporting your weight through one arm and leg helps build strength in the shoulders, wrists, and hips—all while training the obliques and improving balance.
How to do it:
Lie on your side with your elbow or hand directly under your shoulder. Stack or stagger your feet and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line. Hold and breathe.
Modify it: Drop the bottom knee for support, or lift the top arm and leg to increase the challenge.
4. Kneeling Arm Work
Whether on the Mat, Cadillac, Reformer, or Exo Chair, kneeling arm work brings together strength, balance, and control. Because your knees are grounded and your torso is upright, this exercise recruits deep stabilizers through the hips and spine while dynamically loading the upper body with spring resistance.
Why it helps:
By resisting tension in your arms and shoulders while maintaining a tall spine, the exercise loads the upper body and spine while training postural alignment and proprioception.
Modify it: Sit on a short box or tuck your toes for more stability.
5. 90/90 Lunge
The 90/90 lunge, or split squat, strengthens the hips and legs while improving balance and alignment. This is an Advanced setup for the Reformer, Chair, and Cadillac exercises. Weight-bearing through the front foot and controlled lowering activate the muscles and bones of the legs and pelvis, which are vital for mobility and fracture prevention.
How to do it:
Step one foot forward and one back, both knees bent to 90 degrees. Press through your front heel as you rise, keeping your torso upright and core engaged.
Modify it: Hold onto a stable surface or reduce your range of motion. You can always rest the knee down between reps.
Why Pilates to Build Bone Strength
Alignment is everything when it comes to building bone strength. It’s not just about adding load — it’s about where and how that load is distributed. When force is applied unevenly, one side of the joint can become overstressed, which over time may lead to muscle imbalance, joint irritation, or even cartilage breakdown. In more extreme cases, poor alignment and repetitive strain can contribute to the formation of bone spurs or structural wear.
That’s why in Pilates, we don’t just aim to “strengthen your wrist” or “build your hips.” We want to improve the way your body organizes and supports itself in neutral alignment. These exercises move you from the ground to the upright and work in all planes of motion. True strength comes from moving well, not just moving more.
With its deep attention to alignment, breath, and mindful control, Pilates creates a foundation for balanced muscular engagement — where every push, pull, and reach works in harmony through your kinetic chain. This balanced tension helps your muscles gently tug on your bones in healthy, consistent ways that stimulate bone strength and resilience. Over time, your body responds beautifully to this intelligent load — becoming not only stronger, but more stable, balanced, and adaptable in how it moves through life.
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Disclaimer:
THE INFORMATION EXPRESSED ON THIS SITE IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. WE DRAW ON OUR EXPERTISE AS PILATES AND MOVEMENT SPECIALISTS BY EXPANDING OUR PROFESSIONALISM THROUGH CONTINUING EDUCATION AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. WE AIM TO PROVIDE VALUABLE INFORMATION CONCERNING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PILATES, FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT, AND FITNESS. YOU TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL DECISIONS NOW OR IN THE FUTURE CONCERNING YOUR HEALTH, LIFE, AND WELL-BEING. THIS INFORMATION IS NOT TO BE USED AS MEDICAL ADVICE, EITHER TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE OR AILMENT. YOU SHOULD CONSULT A PHYSICIAN BEFORE BEGINNING ANY EXERCISE PROGRAM.
- “Slowing Bone Loss with Weight-Bearing Exercise.” Harvard Health, 11 Apr. 2021, www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/slowing-bone-loss-with-weight-bearing-exercise.