The General Effectiveness of Weight-Bearing Vs. Non-Weight-Bearing Exercise

Weight-bearing exercise includes any exercise that requires you to bear your body weight on any of your limbs or to resist any movement by weights, bands, pulleys and so on. Non-weight-bearing exercises remove all resistance except for the weight of your limb moving through space, and can vary in intensity depending on a multitude of factors. Understanding the differences between these two types of exercises and their effectiveness will help you to design a workout routine that will help you reach your fitness goals.

  1. Benefit of Weight-Bearing Exercise

    • The large majority of exercises are weight-bearing exercises. Running, step aerobics, Pilates and weight training are just some of the examples of weight-bearing exercises. Weight-bearing exercises offer increased intensity as compared to similar non-weight-bearing exercises because your body must not only move through the motion of the exercise but also bear your body's weight as it does so. This helps burn more calories and challenge your muscles more so than comparable non-weight-bearing exercises.

    Osteoporosis

    • Weight-bearing exercises also provide a major benefit. A lifetime of weight-bearing exercises can help prevent osteoporosis because your body reinforces your bones when you exert yourself through weight-bearing activities and exercise. And even if you get osteoporosis, weight-bearing exercises can help to strengthen your muscles, which can protect your bones as well. And because there is an increased risk of bone fracture associated with falls, particularly if you already have osteoporosis, performing weight-bearing exercises can help to challenge and improve your balance, which can reduce your risk of falling and injury.

    Benefits of Non-Weight-Bearing Exercise

    • Non-weight-bearing exercise can be an effective tool for you if you have pain from injuries such as plantar fasciitis, shin splits, arthritis or a stress fracture. Because you have reduced the intensity by removing the weight-bearing component of exercise, you can still participate in exercise without exacerbating your symptoms. Non-weight-bearing exercise is usually used as a short-term option when you have significant pain to help you continue to remain healthy and strong until you are able to participate more fully in weight-bearing exercises.

    Compare and Contrast Similar Exercises

    • Generally, you will need to exercise longer with non-weight-bearing exercises than with similar weight-bearing activities to achieve the same cardiovascular intensity and calorie burning. For example, you would need to do 100 jumping jacks lying down to exert yourself as much as if you did 20 standard jumping jacks. Or, if you were in spin class you would have to cycle twice as long or much faster sitting to reach the level of intensity you achieve once you stand to cycle.