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Heavy weights vs. light weights: which builds better bones?

NCT ID NCT05541432

Disease control Sponsor: University of Waterloo Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 23, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Osteoporosis weakens bones and raises fracture risk, but the best exercise for building bone is unclear. This trial tests two supervised strength-training programs in adults aged 50 and older with low bone density. One group lifts at a moderate intensity (70% of their max), the other at a higher intensity (85% of their max). The goal is to see which approach better improves spine bone density and reduces fractures.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
supervised strength training at two different intensities
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a simple, drug-free way to strengthen bones and reduce fracture risk in older adults with low bone density.
What could go wrong
This is a relatively early-stage trial with 324 participants, and exercise studies are hard to blind. The higher-intensity group may face a greater risk of injury or drop out.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

324 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Sep 2022

Finished

Feb 2026

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

50 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 50 or over * Has received 2 vaccines for COVID-19 * Has femoral neck, total hip, or lumbar spine BMD T-score of ≤ -1, OR has been or have a FRAX probability of fracture of greater than or equal to 20% for major osteoporotic fracture or 3% or greater for hip fracture.\* * Individuals at high risk of fracture (i.e., risk in next 10 years is \>20% according to FRAX) should be offered medication for osteoporosis. We will only include individuals at high risk of fracture who have declined medication or who had been on osteoporosis medication and decided to cease taking it in the appropriate timeline (as outlined by PI's and Physician). * Willing to participate in 2x weekly exercise sessions * Self-reported as postmenopausal for ≥ 2 years, OR postmenopausal stats confirmed via blood test (female participants only) Exclusion Criteria: * Is unable to communicate in English * Has conditions affecting bone health * Takes or has taken medications affecting bone in the last 12 months or longer (as determined by the research team) * Has had a clinical or symptomatic spine fracture in the last 12 months, or a lower/upper limb fracture in the last 6 months * Has had a joint replacement in the last 6 months * Is receiving palliative care * Has major surgery planned in the next 12 months * Has had cancer within the last 2 years (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) * Has planned travel time of greater than 6 weeks * Has been diagnosed with dementia * Is already participating in moderate- or high-intensity progressive resistance training ≥ twice weekly * Weighs over 450 lbs * Has contraindications to resistance training

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Bone Diseases, Metabolic bone fracture Motor Activity osteoporosis

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Osteopenia Osteoporosis

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Saskatchewan

    Saskatoon, Canada

  • University of Toronto

    Markham, Canada

  • University of Waterloo

    Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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