A new study has revealed that indulging in low-weight, high-repetition exercise can increase bone mineral density up to eight percent in adults.

According to the findings, this type of strength training may be an effective and maintainable method of increasing bone mineral density in older people and sedentary groups.

Lead researcher Jinger Gottschall of the Penn State said that this was such a profound finding because low-weight, high-repetition exercise was easily attainable by anybody and everybody.

In the study, 20 untrained adults completed a 27-week group exercise program. Participants were assigned to one of two groups that either completed full-body weight-training workouts or workouts focused on building core muscles, in addition to cardiovascular workouts.

The weight-training group completed two to three BODYPUMP(R); classes per week, a low-weight, high-repetition resistance training program in which the participants used a bar and self-selected weights.

The study analysis found that participants in the weight-training group demonstrated an eight percent increase in leg bone mineral density, a seven percent increase in pelvis bone mineral density, a four percent increase in arm bone mineral density and a four percent increase in spine bone mineral density. The core group's bone mineral density did not change significantly.

Postmenopausal women and osteopenic individuals experienced significant bone mineral density increases of up to 29 percent.

The study is published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness.