Bone-Building Jump Protocol
Use brief multidirectional landing stress to stimulate stronger bones
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 95%
The Bone-Building Jump Protocol uses short bouts of landing impact to create stress through multiple planes of the skeleton. Unlike running or walking, which largely load the body in one plane, jumps create a broader skeletal signal that prompts bone to become stronger. The protocol does not require maximal height or elaborate plyometrics: low-box depth jumps and flatfooted pogo jumps can supply the relevant impact. The landing is the key stimulus, so a trampoline is a poor substitute because its moving surface absorbs reactive force. Sims recommends roughly ten minutes, up to three times weekly. When jumping is unsafe or unavailable, heavier strength training is the preferred fallback for improving bone density.
Origin
Dr. Stacy Sims explains the protocol while distinguishing bone-focused landing work from running, walking, conventional strength training, and trampoline jumping.
Core principles
- 01Bone adapts to mechanical stress
- 02Multidirectional impact stimulates more of the skeleton than uniplanar movement
- 03Landing impact matters more than jump height
- 04A firm surface supplies reactive force that a trampoline absorbs
How to run it
- 1
Confirm impact is appropriate
Make sure jumping and firm landings are safe for the trainee's joints, balance, and current capacity. Use professional guidance when risk is uncertain.
Watch out Do not start impact work through pain or against medical advice.
- 2
Select a low jump
Use a low-box depth jump or pogo-style jump rather than chasing height. The objective is controlled landing stress, not an athletic jump record.
Pro tip Start with the lowest practical dose and progress only when landings remain controlled.
- 3
Land for skeletal load
Land flatfooted and allow the firm ground reaction to travel through the skeletal system. Maintain enough control to avoid collapsing or losing balance.
Pro tip Focus attention on the landing rather than the takeoff.
Watch out A trampoline removes much of the reactive force this protocol is designed to create.
- 4
Cap the dose
Keep the impact block to about ten minutes and perform it no more than three times per week.
Pro tip Attach the block to an existing training routine to improve consistency.
Watch out More impact is not automatically better.
- 5
Use the strength fallback
If jumping is not possible, use appropriately heavy strength training to support bone density instead.
Watch out Running alone does not reproduce the multidirectional loading of jump training.
In the wild
A woman steps from a low box, lands firmly and flatfooted on a stable surface, resets, and repeats controlled landings within a short ten-minute block three times during the week.
→ Her training adds a repeatable multidirectional bone-loading stimulus without requiring high jumps.
A trainee who cannot safely jump replaces the impact block with progressively heavier, well-coached strength work.
→ She still supplies a meaningful bone-density stimulus while respecting her impact limitation.
Common mistakes
Chasing jump height
Bone-focused work depends on the landing stimulus, not jumping as high as possible.
Using a trampoline
The trampoline moves and absorbs force, so it does not create the same skeletal reaction as firm ground.
Relying on running alone
Running is predominantly uniplanar and does not provide the same multidirectional stress.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for women who can safely tolerate coached impact and want to support bone health.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for anyone with an injury, balance limitation, or medical restriction that makes impact unsafe.
From the transcript
“When we look at how bones respond to stress, we need multidirectional stress to invoke actual bone regeneration and increasing our bone density.”
“When we're looking specifically at building bone, it's a landing not how we've been taught with soft knees, but absorbing the impact through our bones.”
“And it only takes 10 minutes three times a week at the most to invoke change.”
From the episode
Episode 466: Dr. Stacy Sims: Why Women Can't Fast Like Men + The Training Intensity You Should Avoid
Dr. Stacy Sims