Is bodyweight training enough for women over 40?
Bodyweight training delivers real strength stimulus, joint-friendly loading and zero-equipment accessibility, but it does not deliver the heavy progressive loading that maximum bone density adaptation requires. For women in midlife, bodyweight training is a strong foundational or supplementary modality; it is less suited as the sole training intervention for women specifically targeting bone density preservation. The pragmatic operating point: bodyweight training as the primary or core modality, with one or two heavier dumbbell or compound resistance sessions per week for the bone-density-supporting loading.
The case for bodyweight training in midlife starts with accessibility. No equipment to buy, no space requirements beyond a mat, no learning curve on equipment use. For women starting fresh, returning to training after a long break, or training while travelling, bodyweight is the lowest-barrier entry. The training itself is real: squats, lunges, push-ups, planks, glute bridges and their variations produce meaningful strength adaptation across weeks and months of consistent practice.
The published evidence on bodyweight versus loaded resistance training is consistent. Schoenfeld and colleagues (2017) showed that both high-load and low-load resistance training produce hypertrophy when sets are taken close to failure. Bodyweight training executed to near-failure with progressive volume increases produces real muscle adaptation. For women whose primary goal is general strength, muscle preservation and functional capacity, bodyweight delivers.
Where bodyweight falls short is maximum load for bone density. The Watson 2018 LIFTMOR trial on bone density in postmenopausal women required high-intensity progressive resistance training (heavy barbell squat, deadlift, overhead press at 80-85% of one-rep-max) plus impact exercises. Bodyweight squats and lunges produce some loading but do not approach the 80-85% threshold that drives bone density adaptation. For women specifically targeting bone density, bodyweight is a complement to heavier work, not a substitute.
The joint-friendly profile is the practical strength. Bodyweight movements at moderate volume are gentler on joints than heavy loaded work. For women with knee, hip or lower back history, bodyweight allows productive training while protecting joint capacity. The platforms that flag modifications proactively (The Sculpt Society’s no-kneeling filter, FitOn’s range of intensities) protect long-term adherence.
The progression challenge is the limit. Bodyweight training caps progression once movements become easy at high reps; you cannot simply add weight as you can with dumbbells. Progression strategies for advanced bodyweight training include single-leg variations (single-leg squats, single-leg glute bridges), tempo manipulation (slow eccentric, isometric holds), and complex movement combinations. Most platforms in this guide include these progression techniques within their bodyweight content.
The five platforms in this guide are the ones I have personally tested that deliver structured bodyweight content. They differ in approach (Pilates-influenced sculpt, classic HIIT-style bodyweight, varied library content, strength-focused, mixed-modality) and price (free to $24.99/month).
How should women over 40 evaluate a bodyweight workout app?
Look at movement progression, joint-friendly defaults, programme structure, integration with optional equipment and modification quality. The bodyweight market is wide and the depth of programming behind “no equipment needed” framing varies dramatically.
Movement progression is the first filter. A good bodyweight programme progresses through variations: standard squat to split squat to single-leg squat; standard push-up to incline push-up to tempo push-up to single-arm progression. Without progression, bodyweight training plateaus after the initial 6-12 weeks of adaptation. The Sculpt Society’s Pilates-influenced sculpt includes movement progressions across the 4 weeks; Sweat’s BBG progresses across the 12-week programme; FitOn’s library includes a range of intensities.
Joint-friendly defaults are the next filter. Many bodyweight programmes default to high-impact patterns (jumping squats, burpees, plyometric push-ups) that compound joint stress for women over 40. Platforms that default to joint-friendly versions and offer the higher-impact versions as variations suit midlife better. The Sculpt Society’s no-kneeling filter and FitOn’s breadth of low-impact options both serve this constraint.
Programme structure separates platforms that take bodyweight training seriously from those that do not. A class library that lets you do random bodyweight sessions does not produce the adaptation a structured programme does. The Sculpt Society’s 4-Week Midlife Movement Programme and Sweat’s BBG both supply structured progression; FitOn and Daily Burn deliver libraries that suit ad-hoc class selection rather than structured progression.
Integration with optional equipment is the fourth filter. Pure bodyweight programmes that ignore even minimal equipment (resistance bands, light dumbbells, ankle weights) miss accessible progression options. Platforms that integrate optional equipment alongside pure bodyweight (The Sculpt Society uses bands, ankle weights and dumbbells alongside bodyweight; Sweat’s mixed programmes use dumbbells alongside BBG bodyweight) extend the progression runway.
Modification quality is the fifth filter and the one most relevant for midlife. Bodyweight movements (deep squats, deep lunges, plank holds, push-ups from toes) can stress joints if executed without modification options. The platforms that flag modifications proactively protect women with joint history.
What should women over 40 prioritise in a bodyweight workout?
Five priorities matter most: compound movement focus, progressive variation, joint-friendly defaults, breath integration and credible continuation path.
Compound movement focus. Squats, lunges, push-ups, glute bridges, planks and their variations deliver the most adaptation per unit of training time. Bodyweight isolation work (curls, kickbacks) has limited value when no external loading is available. Platforms that anchor bodyweight sessions in compound work produce more outcomes.
Progressive variation. Movement variations that increase demand over time: standard squat to split squat to single-leg squat; standard plank to side plank to single-arm plank. Tempo manipulation (slow eccentric, isometric holds) is another progression lever. Without progression, bodyweight training plateaus within months.
Joint-friendly defaults. Low-impact alternatives to high-impact patterns; modifications for knee, hip and wrist history. Platforms that default to gentle versions and offer harder versions as variations suit women over 40 better than the inverse.
Breath integration. Bodyweight work cued with breath (exhale on exertion, controlled diaphragmatic breathing throughout) produces better adaptation and supports pelvic floor function. The Sculpt Society’s Pilates-influenced sculpt cues breath throughout; FORM’s Pilates content does the same. Platforms that ignore breath miss the parasympathetic and pelvic floor benefit.
Credible continuation path. The platform should offer ongoing bodyweight training beyond initial programmes. The Sculpt Society has the broader library after Midlife Movement; Sweat has multiple programmes after BBG; FitOn has indefinite library access. Continuation produces long-term adaptation that initial programmes alone cannot.
What to look for in a bodyweight programme after 40
Bodyweight platforms differ far less in their exercises than in how they handle the two things that matter here: progression and impact.
- Does every movement have a graded progression? The single most useful feature, and the rarest. A platform that shows you a press-up but not the five steps to get there leaves beginners stuck and stronger women unchallenged. Hybrid Calisthenics is built entirely around this.
- Is the default low impact, or is low impact the modification? There is a real difference between a platform designed without jumping and one that jumps by default and offers an alternative in small print.
- Are modifications demonstrated or just mentioned? Moves has physiotherapist-designed alternatives shown properly. Most platforms say “take it easier if you need to”, which is not instruction.
- Is there floor work you cannot get up from easily? If knees or wrists make getting up and down hard, a library built on floor sequences will quietly stop you using it.
- What is the shortest session? Whether you keep going is usually decided by whether there is something doable in fifteen minutes on a bad day.
- Does it tell you when you have outgrown it? Almost none do, because it means telling you to buy equipment. Assume you will have to make that call yourself, at roughly the point three sets of the hardest variation feel comfortable.
Cost matters least. Two of the seven picks here are free, and one of those is the best pure strength system on the page.
Which bodyweight workout platforms score highest?
Seven platforms offer genuine equipment-free training that suits a midlife body. The Sculpt Society ranks first, followed by Peloton, Betty Rocker, FORM, Moves, Pahla B Fitness and Hybrid Calisthenics.
Four popular bodyweight platforms are deliberately excluded, and it is the same reason each time. Chloe Ting, Freeletics, Fiit and Jillian Michaels all run substantial equipment-free programming and all default to high impact: jumping, burpees, plyometrics. That suits a twenty-five-year-old. For a woman over 40 with knees, a pelvic floor and a recovery capacity that has changed, it is the wrong default, and “just modify it” is not a plan when the modifications are an afterthought.
How do the best bodyweight platforms compare?
| Rank | Platform | Equipment-free approach | Meno fit 70% | Ease of use 30% | Review score * | Impact | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sculpt SocietyFully tested | Mat-based sculpt and dance cardio | 6.6 | 8.5 | 8.2 | Low | $24.99/mo |
| 2 | PelotonFully tested | Large no-equipment class category | 6 | 7.8 | 7.3 | Moderate | App One $12.99/mo |
| 3 | Betty RockerSample tested | Home strength, bodyweight-first | 6.9 | 5 | 6.9 | Moderate | $37/mo |
| 4 | FORMFully tested | Mat Pilates and low-impact strength | 4.8 | 9 | 7.6 | Low | $28/mo |
| 5 | MovesFully tested | Physio-designed modifications | 5.1 | 6 | 6.7 | Low | $20/mo |
| 6 | Pahla B FitnessSample tested | Low-impact, built for over-50s | 4.5 | 5 | 5.8 | Low | Free |
| 7 | Hybrid CalisthenicsSample tested | Progressive calisthenics, step by step | 3.8 | 5 | 5.9 | Low | Free |
* Review score is the platform’s overall rating across all nine criteria we score, the number on its review page. The rank comes from how well it suits women over 40, weighted 70%, blended with ease of use, weighted 30%. Hybrid Calisthenics ranks last and is the best pure bodyweight strength system here: it scores low on midlife fit because it has no menopause programming and little bone loading, not because the training is poor.
The Sculpt Society: nothing but a mat, and you will keep doing it
Low-impact sculpt and dance cardio that needs no equipment, with a midlife programme added in 2026
The Sculpt Society runs most of its sculpt work barefoot on a mat-sized patch of floor, and the dance cardio needs nothing at all. The four-week Midlife Movement Programme gives it a structure the other bodyweight options lack.
Tested by Katy Cole, four weeks: I did add light dumbbells to the sculpt sessions, and the format works without them. What makes it rank first is not the training being hardest, it is that the sessions are enjoyable enough to still be happening in week twelve, which is the variable that actually decides outcomes.
What a week looks like: four or five sessions of 15 to 35 minutes, following the programme rather than browsing. Add a resistance band once bodyweight sculpt stops feeling like anything.
The honest limitation: loading is light even with dumbbells, so the bone and maximal strength ceiling is low. This is a consistency engine, not a strength programme.
Cost: $24.99 a month, or $229.99 a year. Seven-day trial.
Peloton: the largest no-equipment class library here
A big bodyweight strength category plus a menopause collection, at the cheapest paid price
Peloton‘s app carries a substantial no-equipment category alongside its menopause collection built with Respin Health. App One at $12.99 a month is the cheapest serious library on this page.
Tested by Katy Cole: I mixed classes across strength, yoga and walking. The live accountability is the real product and it is what gets people back on a bad week, which matters more than any individual class.
What a week looks like: filter to no-equipment strength, two or three sessions, plus the menopause collection. Ignore what the home screen pushes.
The honest limitation: moderate impact by default, no nutrition, and no guided progressive overload. You have to supply the progression yourself, which on a bodyweight page is the hardest part.
Cost: App One $12.99 a month on web. Thirty-day trial, the longest here.
Betty Rocker: home strength that starts bodyweight and adds load later
Women-focused home training with whole-food nutrition and a perimenopause slant
Betty Rocker is built for training at home with little or nothing, and it has the clearest path from bodyweight into loaded work of anything here, plus nutrition alongside.
Sample tested. We sampled the membership rather than running a full block. The perimenopause education is genuine and coach-led rather than clinician-backed.
The honest limitation: it cross-sells supplements, and the trial is 30 days for $1 rather than free. At $37 a month standard it is the most expensive option here, though frequently promoted at $29.
Cost: $37 a month or $348 a year, often discounted.
FORM: the most polished mat-based option
Low-impact Pilates and strength on a mat, with an explicit anti-burnout position
FORM needs a mat and nothing else, runs 20 to 30 minute sessions, and its anti-burnout ethos is genuine rather than marketing.
Tested by Katy Cole: FORM is the platform I have spent the most time with. The session length is the quiet advantage: 20 to 30 minutes is short enough that it survives a bad week.
The honest limitation: no menopause content, and loading is light by design. It builds midlife strength gently, which is both the appeal and the ceiling.
Cost: $28 a month or $180 a year on the site. Apple in-app differs at $144.99 a year. Seven-day full-access trial.
Moves: physiotherapist-designed modifications, and real pelvic floor content
The best modifications here, from a women’s strength app with genuine clinical input
Moves is a well-built women’s strength app whose modifications are designed by physical therapists rather than improvised, and it includes real pelvic floor content, which almost nothing on this page does.
Tested by Katy Cole, about one month: the modifications are the standout. Being shown a properly designed alternative, rather than told to “take it easy”, is the difference between training around a limitation and stopping.
The honest limitation: it leans towards new mothers and has no menopause programming, so the framing will not always feel aimed at you even when the content suits.
Cost: $20 a month or $200 a year. Seven-day trial with all features.
Pahla B Fitness: free, genuinely low impact, and made for women over 50
Warm, menopause-aware, no equipment, and no cost
Pahla B Fitness is a free YouTube library built specifically for women over 50, consistently low impact, and unusually warm in tone for a category that often is not.
Sample tested. We worked through a sample of the free library rather than a full programme. What is clear is the consistency of the low-impact approach and how menopause-aware the coaching is.
The honest limitation, and it is a real one: new workouts stopped in 2022, so the library is static. Loading is light and the creator is a coach rather than a clinician. The separate $50 a month membership is mindset coaching, not workouts, which is worth knowing before you click it.
Cost: free on YouTube.
Hybrid Calisthenics: the best pure bodyweight strength system, free
Progressive calisthenics with the gentlest on-ramp anywhere, and it solves the progression problem
Hybrid Calisthenics is Hampton Liu’s free system, and it is the only thing on this page that answers the central bodyweight question properly: what do you do when a press-up gets easy. Every movement has a graded progression from a version almost anyone can do up to a hard one.
Sample tested. We worked through the free routine and the app core rather than running a full block. The on-ramp is genuinely the kindest in calisthenics: no assumption that you arrive able to do anything.
Why it ranks last, and why you might still start here: it has no menopause programming and little bone loading, which is what our midlife measure rewards. As a way to get strong with nothing, at no cost, with a real progression ladder, it is the best thing on this page.
Cost: free, with an optional supporter tier around $9.99 a month.
Which bodyweight workout is right for you?
If you want to actually keep going, The Sculpt Society.
If you want to get genuinely strong with nothing, for nothing, Hybrid Calisthenics.
If you are over 50 and want something free and gentle, Pahla B Fitness.
If you are working around an injury or a pelvic floor issue, Moves, for the physiotherapist-designed modifications.
If you want the cheapest large library, Peloton App One at $12.99 a month.
A 20-minute bodyweight workout you can do anywhere
Six movements, no equipment, no jumping, and a harder and easier version of each. Pick the version where the last two repetitions are genuinely hard.
| Movement | Easier | Harder | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | Sit to a chair and stand | Slow 3-second lower, no chair | 3 x 10 |
| Press-up | Hands on a worktop | Hands on a low step, then floor | 3 x 6 to 10 |
| Hip hinge | Both legs, hands on hips | Single-leg, hand on a wall | 3 x 8 each |
| Split squat | Back foot on floor, hold a wall | Back foot on a low step | 3 x 8 each |
| Glute bridge | Both feet down | One foot down, other knee tucked | 3 x 10 |
| Side plank | Knees bent | Legs straight | 3 x 20 sec each |
Two or three times a week, with a day between. The whole thing takes about 20 minutes at a controlled pace.
How to progress, which is the part bodyweight training makes hard: move to the harder version, slow the lowering phase to three seconds, pause for two seconds at the bottom, or add a set. Change one variable at a time. When the harder version of everything is comfortable for three sets, you have outgrown bodyweight for that movement and it is time to add load.
Is bodyweight training enough after 40?
For a while, and then it is not, and knowing where that line falls saves you a wasted year.
What bodyweight training genuinely does. Schoenfeld and colleagues found low and high loads both build muscle when sets are taken close to failure. That is the finding bodyweight training rests on, and it is real: if a press-up variation makes the last two reps genuinely hard, it is building muscle.
Where it runs out. Your body weight is a fixed load. Once you can do three comfortable sets of the hardest version you can safely perform, there is nowhere left to go, and progression stops. That happens fastest in the lower body, where the legs are strong relative to what a squat with no weight asks of them.
The bone problem is the sharper one. Martyn-St James and Carroll found that programmes combining impact with high-magnitude resistance work reduced postmenopausal bone loss. High-magnitude is the operative phrase, and bodyweight work rarely reaches it. Meanwhile Greendale and colleagues documented loss of lean mass across the menopause transition, so this is the period when the ceiling matters most.
So the honest arrangement: start with bodyweight, especially if you have stopped training or you are working around an injury. Use a progression system rather than repeating the same session. And when the hardest version gets comfortable, buy one pair of adjustable dumbbells. That single purchase, at around $80, extends your training for years, and our dumbbell picks cover what to do with them.
Nothing here is medical advice. If you have a diagnosed joint condition, a recent injury or pelvic floor symptoms, work with a physiotherapist on which progressions suit you.
How did we rank these seven?
The qualifier is genuine equipment-free training that suits a midlife body, which is two tests rather than one. A platform has to actually programme bodyweight work, and it must not default to high impact.
That second test is what removed Chloe Ting, Freeletics, Fiit and Jillian Michaels. All four run plenty of equipment-free content and all four default to jumping and plyometrics. We also excluded pure yoga apps such as Down Dog and Daily Yoga, which are equipment-free by nature but are a different practice, covered on our comfort-led page.
The ranking is midlife fit, weighted 70%, blended with ease of use at 30%. Being equipment-free is the entry ticket, so ranking on it again would restate the gate.
Four of the seven I have tested or sampled myself and three more were sampled. Each section says which.
We buy our own subscriptions. Some links on this page earn a commission, which never affects a score or a position.
Where is the evidence still evolving on bodyweight training for women over 40?
Three open questions matter most. First, whether bodyweight training executed to near-failure with progressive volume produces comparable outcomes to loaded resistance training for general strength and hypertrophy. Second, whether the progression strategies available for bodyweight (single-leg variations, tempo manipulation) generate enough loading to drive bone density adaptation in postmenopausal women. Third, whether bodyweight training as a sole modality sustains long-term adherence better or worse than mixed bodyweight-and-equipment training.
On bodyweight versus loaded for general adaptation, the Schoenfeld 2017 research supports comparable hypertrophy outcomes when sets are taken close to failure. The practical caveat is that bodyweight near-failure can be harder to achieve as you get stronger; advanced bodyweight progression requires creative variation (single-leg work, tempo, complex combinations) to maintain near-failure stimulus.
On bone density, the Watson 2018 LIFTMOR trial used heavy barbell loading; bodyweight training at typical home volumes sits below this threshold. Whether very high-volume advanced bodyweight work (single-leg variations, plyometrics, weighted-vest progressions) could produce comparable bone density effects is plausible but not directly tested. The cautious operating point: bodyweight training for general adaptation, plus heavier loading at least once or twice per week for bone density.
On adherence, the consumer research suggests bodyweight-only programmes have higher adherence in the first 3-6 months (no equipment friction, easier to start) and lower adherence thereafter (progression plateau, lack of novelty). Mixed bodyweight-and-equipment programmes sustain better long-term. The pragmatic position: start with bodyweight, add minimal equipment (mat, bands, light dumbbells) within 3-6 months as progression demands it.
If I were designing a bodyweight-led training week for a woman over 40, knowing the published research: three Sculpt Society Midlife Movement sessions per week (which include bodyweight content with optional light equipment), one heavier compound dumbbell session per week (Caroline Girvan EPIC or BODi LIIFT4 for bone density loading), two or three 30-45 minute walking sessions per week, and one rest day. The bodyweight content forms the core training; the one heavier session per week supplies the bone density loading the bodyweight content cannot.
Frequently Asked Questions
For general strength, muscle preservation and functional capacity, yes. The Schoenfeld 2017 research showed that both high-load and low-load resistance training produce hypertrophy when sets are taken close to failure. For maximum bone density adaptation, no. The Watson 2018 LIFTMOR trial required heavy progressive resistance training to produce bone density gains in postmenopausal women; bodyweight training at typical volumes sits below this threshold. The pragmatic operating point: bodyweight training as the core or primary modality, plus one or two heavier dumbbell or compound resistance sessions per week for bone density loading.
The Sculpt Society scored highest in our 2026 evaluation. The platform’s Pilates-influenced bodyweight sculpt sessions deliver real strength stimulus without external loading, with the 4-Week Midlife Movement Programme including significant bodyweight content. Sweat covers Kayla Itsines’ BBG (12-week bodyweight programme). FitOn covers a free bodyweight library. Peloton App One covers bodyweight strength in the Menopause Health Collection at $15.99/month. Daily Burn covers bodyweight options within Fierce and Fit for Women at $7.49/month annual.
Three progression strategies extend bodyweight training beyond the first 6-12 weeks of adaptation. First, movement variations: standard squat to split squat to single-leg squat; standard push-up to incline to single-arm progression. Second, tempo manipulation: slow eccentric (3-5 seconds lowering), isometric holds at the bottom or top of movements. Third, complex combinations: pairing two movements together (squat-to-press, deadlift-to-row). Beyond these, adding minimal equipment (resistance bands, light dumbbells, ankle weights) extends the progression runway substantially. The Sculpt Society’s Midlife Movement Programme uses tempo and variation progressions; Sweat’s BBG uses circuit complexity progression.
Five compound bodyweight movements cover most of the adaptation needed: squat (standard, then split squat, then single-leg as you progress), glute bridge (two-legged, then single-leg, then weighted with body or band), push-up (incline if needed, then standard, then single-arm progression), plank (standard, then side plank, then dynamic variations), and lunge (reverse, forward, lateral). These five movement patterns load the major muscle groups (legs, glutes, chest, shoulders, core) and produce the strength and hypertrophy adaptation the Schoenfeld research supports. The Sculpt Society’s Midlife Movement and Sweat’s BBG both centre on this movement selection.
Three to five sessions per week is the typical operating point. A balanced week might include three or four 20-30 minute bodyweight strength or sculpt sessions, two or three 30-45 minute walking sessions, and one rest day. Total weekly training time: 3-4 hours, which sits comfortably inside realistic schedules. Daily bodyweight training is fine for women whose preference is high-frequency low-intensity work; sessions recover quickly between days because the loading is moderate. For women combining bodyweight with one or two heavier dumbbell sessions per week (for bone density loading), the bodyweight sessions can run at higher frequency.
Yes, especially in the first 6-12 months of training. The Schoenfeld 2017 research showed that low-load resistance training (which bodyweight typically delivers) produces comparable hypertrophy to high-load training when sets are taken close to failure. The challenge with bodyweight is sustaining near-failure stimulus as you get stronger; advanced bodyweight progression requires creative variation (single-leg work, tempo manipulation, complex combinations) to maintain the training stimulus. For most women over 40, bodyweight training produces real muscle building in the first 6-12 months; thereafter, adding minimal equipment (resistance bands, light dumbbells) extends the progression runway and accelerates further gains.
With the right platform and modifications, yes. Bodyweight movements are broadly low-impact, but specific exercises (deep squats, deep lunges, plank holds, push-ups from toes) can stress joints. The platforms that flag modifications proactively (The Sculpt Society’s no-kneeling filter, FitOn’s range of intensities) protect women with joint history. For lower back specifically, the Pilates-influenced bodyweight content on The Sculpt Society aligns with the Cochrane 2015 evidence on Pilates for chronic lower back pain. For active joint pain or recent injury, work with a physiotherapist before starting. For chronic joint history that is well-managed, bodyweight training can be calibrated to suit you.
FitOn’s free tier is the lowest-friction starting point. No card required, broad library across bodyweight strength, Pilates, yoga and HIIT. Free YouTube creators (Heather Robertson, Move with Nicole, Pamela Reif) publish structured bodyweight programmes free with precise cueing. For a paid platform at the budget tier, Daily Burn at $7.49/month annual delivers bodyweight options inside a broader library. The Sculpt Society’s 7-day free trial gives full access to Midlife Movement and the broader library. Total starting cost (mat only): under $20 for the equipment; the rest is platform choice.
For a while, then it is not. Schoenfeld and colleagues found low and high loads both build muscle when sets are taken close to failure, so bodyweight work genuinely builds muscle while it is hard enough. The problem is that your body weight is a fixed load: once three sets of the hardest safe version feel comfortable, progression stops. That happens fastest in the lower body. At that point one pair of adjustable dumbbells extends your training for years.
Hybrid Calisthenics for pure strength, because every movement has a graded progression from a very easy version upward, which solves the problem most free bodyweight content ignores. Pahla B Fitness if you are over 50 and want something gentler and menopause-aware, though note its library stopped updating in 2022.
Not reliably. Martyn-St James and Carroll found that reducing postmenopausal bone loss took impact combined with high-magnitude resistance work, and bodyweight training rarely reaches high magnitude. Treat bodyweight work as a way to build muscle and movement confidence, and discuss bone specifically with your doctor rather than assuming press-ups cover it.
Move to a harder variation, slow the lowering phase to about three seconds, pause at the hardest position for two seconds, reduce the base of support such as moving from two legs to one, or add a set. Change one variable at a time. When the hardest variation of a movement is comfortable for three sets, you have outgrown bodyweight for it.
