How to use the bone-loading volume calculator
Enter the sessions per week you have chosen, the length of one session and how many months you plan to continue. The tool returns total training time per week, the number of sessions across the period and the cumulative time, then lines each item up against a documented protocol. Session counts convert one month to 52 รท 12 weeks (about 4.33), multiply, and round down.
The tool does not set the frequency for you. The best frequency for bone-loading exercise is still disputed: one meta-analysis reported that fewer than two sessions a week produced better bone density change than two or more, while a sixteen-year follow-up proposed two or more as the minimum effective dose. The protocol used for comparison ran eight months, 30 minutes a session, twice a week, with supervised high-intensity resistance work plus impact training, and reported lumbar spine 2.9% and femoral neck 0.3% change in postmenopausal women with low bone mass, as of October 2026.
What is known about intensity and site matters too. A systematic review found high-intensity resistance training more favourable than moderate intensity for lumbar spine bone density, and loading is described as needing to exceed habitual levels and rise gradually as the body adapts. Impact exercise is site specific: a high-impact jumping program two to three times a week improved the proximal femur at twelve months but did not improve the lumbar spine.
There are limits. The calculation adds up time and counts only, with no account of load or impact magnitude, so the same minutes can deliver very different stress to bone. It does not forecast a change in bone density. If you have been diagnosed with low bone density or have a fracture history, talk with a clinician before choosing exercises and intensity. The protocol used for comparison was also carried out under supervision.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no settled answer. One meta-analysis reported fewer than two a week performing better, while a sixteen-year follow-up proposed two or more as the minimum effective dose, so the conclusions diverge. The tool therefore sets no frequency and totals whatever you enter.
It depends on the site. A high-impact jumping program two to three times a week improved the proximal femur at twelve months but not the lumbar spine, so the benefit concentrates where the load lands.
That is not supported. The tool only adds time and session counts. The lumbar spine 2.9% and femoral neck 0.3% shown in the results are figures reported for one supervised protocol, not a forecast for you.