'Running left me with a pelvic stress fracture – but it taught me lifelong lessons'
Women’s Health’s Fitness Director Bridie Wilkins, 30, sustained a pelvic stress fracture after excessive running without strength training to build muscle and protect her bones. Since, she's used weight training to stem the effects of osteopenia.
I was 21 when, while running on a treadmill on holiday in Portugal, I felt a pain so severe it felt like I’d been stabbed in the groin. I limped back to my hotel room in tears and took some painkillers, writing it off as a sprain. But in the months that followed, the pain roared back.
Several physiotherapists and an X-ray later, I was still without answers. Finally, after ten months of pain, an MRI revealed a pelvic stress fracture too small for the X-ray to spot, and I was sent for a DEXA scan, which measures bone density. Only then was I diagnosed with osteopenia; a pre-cursor to osteoporosis – a condition that weakens bones, making them more likely to break – osteopenia occurs when you have lower than average bone density for your age.
I was devastated. Doctors treating me believed it had been brought on by excessive running (I was averaging four 5ks per week), alongside a calcium deficiency; I’m dairy intolerant and calcium (obtained primarily from dairy) is essential for strong bones. Alongside a diligent regime of calcium supplementation, I was under strict instructions to rest until the pain subsided – even day-to-day walking was discouraged.
As someone for whom fitness is as much of a mental salve as it is a physical one, the seven months that followed were among the longest of my life. When I was finally signed off to exercise again (17 months after the incident), I knew my routine had to change – and I'd interviewed enough experts about the power of strength training for bone health to know I had to incorporate weights into my workout week.
I started doing one full-body strength YouTube workout weekly for six weeks, increasing by one workout every two weeks until I hit three. But if I took it up for my bones, I kept it up for my mind – every new PB delivering a fresh wave of motivation to see what my body could do next. Not only have I stayed injury-free, I’ve overhauled my health.
In January 2023, at a health retreat in Switzerland, another DEXA scan revealed my bones to be much closer to the ‘normal’ tissue range. Having been warned by doctors that it wouldn’t be possible to improve my bone density - only to slow osteopenia’s progression – the relief was overwhelming. It’s the reason strength training remains the focal point of my workout week – and the reason I harp on about it to anyone who’ll listen.
What are the benefits of strength training in your 30s?
Sports medicine doctor Dr Rebecca Robinson says: ‘Muscle mass decreases by between three and eight percent per decade after 30, and strength training limits this by triggering hypertrophy – when your muscles break down and grow back stronger.
'As your muscles weaken, your bones have less cushioning, and impact force from lifting weights leads to bone formation by laying cells called osteoblasts – the precursor to new bone, and stimulating cells called osteoclasts, responsible for helping older bone tissue renew and repair.’
How often should women strength train in their 30s?
‘Aim for 30 to 40-minute sessions, three to four times per week. This will be sufficient to build both bone density and muscle. After four to six weeks, consider progressively overloading the amount of weight you lift in these sessions by five to 10 per cent every two weeks, to safely increase the amount of stress on your bones and joints.’
Which other types of exercise should you combine with strength training in their 30s?
‘Take up yoga or Pilates once or twice weekly to build core strength and improve balance, enabling you to lift heavier. Finally, add in one weekly session of aerobic exercise to maintain good cardiovascular health; low-intensity steady-state jogging is a good choice for bone production if that’s your focus (high-intensity intervals and sprints are too impactful), while swimming and cycling are extra low-impact options if you feel sore.'
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