A movement lesson from GWANKO Coaching

The Heel Drop

One of the simplest, most-researched ways to tell your skeleton to build more bone (and you can do it at the kitchen sink while the coffee brews).

Why This Small Move Matters

Menopause changes more than your cycle. As estrogen drops, more than seven in ten women notice it somewhere in the musculoskeletal system, joints, muscle, and bone included. Bone doesn't quietly sit this stage out either: once estrogen falls, the balance tips toward more bone breakdown than bone building. [1, 2]

Here's the part worth remembering. Bone behaves like a thermostat. It has a setpoint for how much daily strain it expects, and if the load coming in stays under that setpoint, bone doesn't bother adding more of itself (why would it?). Push a little past that setpoint, consistently, and bone responds by building right where the strain landed. The heel drop is one of the easiest, lowest-equipment ways to nudge that setpoint on purpose.

A 2019 study comparing four common bone-loading exercises in early postmenopausal women found heel drops held their own against jump training and box drops, and all three outperformed simple stomping for maintaining bone health. Earlier trials found a similar loading pattern helped postmenopausal women hold steady on bone density during a stage when many women are losing it, and holding steady is itself a real win. [3, 4]

Before you start: if you have a history of vertebral compression fracture, or an acute one, check with your physician or a physical therapist experienced in osteoporosis before doing this exercise. Once you're cleared, drop gently.

Find Your Setting

This isn't all-or-nothing. Think of it less like a light switch and more like a difficulty slider (yes, like a video game) — you set the intensity to match where your bones are right now, not where you wish they were.

Low risk

Free-fall onto your heels.

Moderate risk

Control the descent, drop moderately hard.

High risk

Drop gently, unless your provider says otherwise.

Fracture history

Get clearance first, then drop gently.

How to Do It

1

Set up. Stand an arm's length from a sturdy counter or chair back, feet hip-width apart, fingertips resting lightly on the surface for balance.

2

Find your posture. Back straight, chest tall, head stacked directly over your shoulders, not out in front of them.

3

Rise. Inhale as you come up onto the balls of both feet, as high as feels comfortable. Knees stay straight but unlocked.

4

Drop. Exhale, draw your lower belly in gently, and let your heels fall to the floor at the setting you chose above. Stay tall through the landing.

5

Repeat. Feel the vibration travel up through your skeleton, then rise again for your next rep.

Two Things That Keep This Safe

Unlock your knees

Straight, but never locked or hyperextended. Locking removes your body's natural shock absorber and sends the force into the knee ligaments instead of the bone.

Keep your head stacked

Your head weighs about as much as a bowling ball. Land with it over your spine, not in front of it, so that weight travels straight down instead of loading your spine off-center.

A Gentler Way In

For anyone at moderate-to-high fracture risk, or who just wants a softer entry point, this modified version (adapted from a Qigong "Eight Brocade" sequence) showed measurable bone density gains at both the spine and hip in study participants doing just seven reps, three times a day. [3]

1

Settle into a shallow mini-squat, weight even across three points of each foot (big toe, little toe, heel), arms relaxed at your sides.

2

Inhale as you reach both palms toward the ceiling and rise onto the balls of your feet.

3

Exhale as your arms lower and your heels drop, settling back into that same shallow squat.

4

Start with one or two reps and build toward seven, at whatever pace your body asks for.

How Often

There's no single magic number. The research spans a wide range, from 50 reps five times a day in younger, premenopausal women, to just seven reps three times a day in the gentler version above, and that softer protocol still moved the needle on bone density. [3, 4]

If you have osteoporosis, start small and gentle. This is continuity over intensity in its purest form: a handful of reps spread across your day (paired with brushing your teeth, or a coffee break) does more for your bones than saving them all for one long session.

When to Check In First

You have a history of vertebral compression fracture → get clearance from your physician or a PT experienced in osteoporosis before starting.
You have significant joint pain in your hips, knees, or feet → lower your heels gently rather than dropping, and check with your provider.
You've had a hip or knee replacement → gentle heel-lowering only.
You experience incontinence or have had a pelvic organ prolapse → a pelvic health physiotherapist can help you build this in safely.
You're just not sure yet → gentle beats guessing, every time.